Well-aligned polyaniline/carbon-nanotube composite films grown by in-situ aniline polymerization

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) encapsulated by polyaniline (PANI) of nanometer size have been synthesized by in-situ polymerization, and are found to be orientationally ordered by the aligned MWNTs. Procedures are demonstrated for the preparation of nanocomposite-tube (NCT) films with controlled organization. Changes in the dimensions of the nanocomposites were measured using SEM and TEM techniques. The interaction between PANI and MWNTs and the nature of chain growth have been investigated and explained according to the results of FT-IR analysis. The improvement of thermal stability and crystallinity of the nanocomposites have been evaluated by using TGA and XRD. The mechanism of charge transport in these composites has also been studied by measuring the DC conductivity of all samples and examining the temperature-conductivity relations. MWNT alignment should be possible with other nanometer-sized building composites films, offering a general route for controlled assembly of organized nanomaterials and devices. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.