Preparation and characterization of fly ashes and polyaniline core/shell microspheres

To modify the surface of fly ashes (FAs), conductive polyaniline (PANI) layer were chemically grafted on the surface of the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) coated FA particles, resulting in SAM-FAs/PANI composites. The surface functionalization of FAs with amino groups was found to play an important role in the formation of the well-defined core/shell structure. The composites possess good conductivity, average specific capacitance and good magnetic properties at room temperature. Moreover, the conductivity stability and thermal stability of SAM-FAs/PANI composites were clearly improved. The resulting composites were characterized by using wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy.