Synthesis and characterization of poly(aniline-co-p-phenylenediamine) nanorods with external dopant

Conducting copolymer, poly(aniline-co-p-phenylene-diamine) [poly(Ani-co-pPD)] nanorods were prepared in the presence of p-toluene sulfonic acid (p-TSA) dopant by chemical oxidative polymerization. Morphology of the copolymer nanorods were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Moreover the formation mechanism of the nanostructured copolymer was proposed. FT-IR, UV-visible and X-ray diffraction measurements were used to confirm the molecular and electrical structure of the copolymer nanorods. The intrinsic properties, such as conductivity, electrochemical redox activity and room-temperature solubility of the resulting copolymer were explored.