A study on the synthesis, characterization and properties of polyaniline nanofibers using ferric chloride as both oxidant and dopant

PANI nanofibers with a really nano-scaled diameter of 20 ~ 30 nm and a high conductivity of 100 S/cm were successfully prepared by using FeCl3 &middot 6H2O as oxidant at the acidic dopant-free. Compared with other synthetic methods for nanostructures, this approach is most simple and cheap because of FeCl3 &middot 6H2O having two-function of oxidant and dopant at the same time, resulting in further simplifying reaction reagents. Characterizations of UV-visible, FTIR spectra, XRD as well as conductivity measured by four-probe method definitely proved the nanofibers oxidized by FeCl3 as oxidant at dopant-free are identical to the emeraldine salt form of PANI, although without external acidic dopant, and Cl anion is incorporated the PANI main chain as counter-ion. ? (2013) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.EI