Interfacial synthesis of electrically conducting polyaniline nanofiber composites

Abstract In this work, polyaniline/poly(sulfonated styrene) (PANI–PSS) nanofiber composites were prepared by an interfacial method. The in situ polymerization technique of these PANI nanofibers in the presence of sulfonated polystyrene allowed for the growth of PANI 2-D nanostructures embedded in the polymerized sulfonated host. This facile approach enables a self-assembly of these nanofibers into a workable, robust, conductive composite which can be processed and cast from water. A low accelerating voltage scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to image these twisted fibers within the bulk of the cast film. In addition, the SEM confirmed the self-assembly of these 40–50 nm fibers within the host PSS to yield an electrically conducting composite film.