Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micellar templates directed synthesis of water-dispersible polyaniline rhombic plates with excellent processability and flow-induced color variation

Well-defined PANI rhombic plates are produced via a cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micellar soft template route in low acid environment. Lamellar micelles consisting of CTAB and ammonium persulfate (APS) molecules not only serve as both soft templates and oxidant for oxidative polymerization of aniline, but also provide intermolecular interactions to assemble two-dimensional PANI sheets to three-dimensional rhombic plates. Detailed mechanistic studies meanwhile reveal that fabricating such regular rhombic plates cannot be separated from the synergistic effect of the optimal pH value and suitable anions. The prepared PANI rhombic plates exhibit water dispersibility, processability, and flow-induced color variation, which is supposed to be attributed to the intermolecular interactions between residual CTAB molecules and PANI molecules. Using these rhombic plates as a model system, the results and strategies presented here provide insight into the general scheme of morphology and dimension control in the low acid environment for conducting polymers.