title: Growth and alignment of polyaniline nanofibres with superhydrophobic, superhydrophilic and other properties.
abstract: Polyaniline nanofibres can be prepared by a number of methods based on chemical oxidative polymerization and in situ adsorption polymerization. However, the lack of alignment in these nanostructures makes them unsuitable for many applications. Here, we report a simple approach to chemical oxidative polymerization that can control the growth and simultaneous alignment of polyaniline nanofibres grown on a range of conducting and non-conducting substrates in a wide variety of sizes. The diameters of the tips of the nanofibres can be controlled within the range 10-40 nm, and the average length can be controlled within the range 70-360 nm. Moreover, the coatings display a range of properties including superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity. Such nanostructured coatings may be useful for applications such as anti-fog coatings, self-cleaning surfaces, DNA manipulation, transparent electrodes for low-voltage electronics, and chemical and biological sensors.
authors.forename: Nan-Rong
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Chiou
authors.forename: Chunmeng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Jingjiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: L James
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Epstein
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; C416807:polyaniline