Novel solid-state and template-free synthesis of branched polyaniline nanofibers

One of the most notable large family of conductive polymers is polyaniline. Polyanililne has been used in such applications as anticorrosion and antistatic coatings, batteries and sensors. Their counterpart on the nanoscale, polyaniline nanomaterials have also been studied, and are prepared through chemical oxidation polymerization from monomers in solutions. Although researchers have successfully devised numerous typical oxidation polymerization methods to fabricate polyaniline nanofibers in solution without using any surfactant or hard template and the use of special surfactant and dopants, the fact that there is a requirement for the removal of the structure-determinant materials introduces additional work. As such, a much more accessible method, one that is environmentally benign and economically more accessible to prepare polymer nanomaterials have to be introduced. One efficient method to prepare different nanomaterials, including polyanilines, is the solid-state chemical reaction. In this process, the use of room temperature solid-state polymerization of a solid anilinium salt to prepare polyaniline nanomaterials is possible. The new route is about a facile solid-state mechanochemical route for branched polyaniline nanofibers that does not require any additional templates, organic acid, and surfactants.