Preparation of polyaniline (PANI)-coated Fe3O4 microsphere chains and PANI chain-like hollow spheres without using surfactants

摘要

We successfully coated polyaniline (PANI) onto amino-Fe3O4 microsphere chains to form PANI-coated Fe3O4 microsphere chain (PFMC) composites without using any surfactants. Chaining the amino-Fe3O4 microspheres as templates was realized via a magnetic-field-induced (MFI) assembly process. The hydrogen bonding formed between amino-Fe3O4 microspheres and aniline molecules was the driving force of aniline polymerization on the surface of the microspheres rather than in solution. After the Fe3O4 microspheres cores were removed, PANI chain-like hollow spheres (PCHM) were obtained. The length and PANI shell thickness of PFMC composites and corresponding PCHM could be effectively tuned by employing different dosages of aniline. It was found that the PANI shell thickness d(1), average interparticle separation d(2), and PANI loading yield were linearly increased with increasing aniline dosage in a certain range. This effective method not only supports a simple approach to the PFMC composites and PCHM, but also demonstrates that a PANI coating shell can be easily formed via solely electrostatic interactions without the aid of surfactants.