title: Polyaniline/Au composite hollow spheres: synthesis, characterization, and application to the detection of dopamine.
abstract: Polyaniline (PANI)/Au composite hollow spheres were successfully synthesized using polystyrene/sulfonated polystyrene core/shell gel particle templates. The PANI shell thickness and the number of Au nanoparticles decorating the PANI could be controlled effectively by adjusting the experimental conditions. The morphology, composition, and optical properties of the resulting products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the PANI/Au composite hollow spheres was more than 3 times higher than that of the pure PANI hollow spheres. Furthermore, PANI/Au composites were immobilized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and applied to construct a sensor. The obtained PANI/Au-modified GCEs showed one pair of redox peaks and high catalytic activity for the oxidation of dopamine. The possible formation mechanism of the PANI/Au composite hollow spheres was also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry and Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Changjie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Wenhua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Jun-Jie
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis*; D004563:Electrochemistry; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; C416807:polyaniline; D006046:Gold; D004298:Dopamine