The Synthesis and Characterization of Substituted Polyaniline Hollow Spheres doped with a Polymeric Acid.

Self-assembled poly(o-toluidine) (POT) and poly(o-anisidine) (POA) hollow spheres were prepared by oxidative polymerization using ammonium persulfate as the oxidant in the presence of 5% by weight of a polymeric acid, poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) (PMVEA). The substituent at the ortho position had a significant effect on the size of the hollow nanospheres as determined by SEM and TEM. The nanospheres were of a very uniform size in the presence of the polymeric acid, with average diameters of 338±25 nm for POT and 210±20 nm for POA. The POT and POA hollow spheres were also characterized by FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, which confirmed the chemical identity of the substituted polyanilines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]