Self-organization of spherical PANI/TiO2 nanocomposites in reverse micelles

Spherical polyaniline (PANI)/TiO2 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized in Triton-x100 (OP)/hexamethylene/water reverse micelle served as nanoreactors. After set 60 days, the spherical nanoparticles were self-organized to sea urchin-like shape. The nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), UV–vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). IR and XRD results indicated that the nanohybrid was composed of PANI and TiO2. Investigation of the influences of the surfactant and organic solvent on the morphology of nanocomposites would deepen our understanding of the self-organization mechanism of nanoparticles in reverse micelles.