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Synthesis and applications of conducting polymer nanofibers

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Abstract

Conducting polymers are difficult to process, since unlike conventional polymers, they generally do not dissolve in common solvents or melt. By synthesizing nanostructured forms of the conjugated polymer polyaniline, simple methods for making conducting polymer inks become possible. By using either interfacial polymerization or a rapid-mixing technique, nanostructured polyaniline has been synthesized in a readily scalable process. Polyaniline nanofibers make excellent sensors for acids and bases. When decorated with metal nanoparticles, they can be used for molecular memory devices and catalysis. Using a flash from a camera, polyaniline nanofibers can be melted and patterned to make sensors, actuators, and asymmetric membranes. Single crystals of tetraaniline can be grown that exhibit conductivities approaching that of the bulk polymer.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks J. Huang, S. Virji, R. Blair, D. Li, H. Tran, K. Shin, C. Baker, B. Shedd, V. Strong, R. Kojima, J. D’Arcy, Y.(J.) Wang, B. McVerry, Y. Liao, T. Farrell, K. Marsh, X.(W.) Huang, B. Weiller, G. Wallace, G. Spinks, D. Martin, Y. Yang, P. Diaconescu, E. Hoek, and S. Tolbert for their contributions. He also thanks their sponsors, including the National Science Foundation, the Microelectronics Advanced Research Corp., Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, Abraxis Bioscience, Boeing, and Water Planet.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

    Richard B. Kaner

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  1. Richard B. Kaner
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Correspondence to Richard B. Kaner.

Additional information

The following article is based on the MRS Medal presentation given by Richard B. Kaner at the 2015 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston. He is cited “for the discovery of efficient methods to synthesize water-dispersible conducting polymer nanofibers and their applications in sensors, actuators, molecular memory devices, catalysis, and the novel process of flash welding.”

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Kaner, R.B. Synthesis and applications of conducting polymer nanofibers. MRS Bulletin 41, 785–790 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2016.213

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