Preparation of hierarchical polyaniline nanotubes based on self‐assembly and its electrochemical capacitance

This article reports the preparation and self‐assembly of polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes, which were chemically synthesized by using in situ doping polymerization in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS; (NH₄)S₂O₈) as the oxidant without the use of an external template. The synthesized hierarchically nanotubes with a shape of a single nanotube with a length of 0.6 to 0.8 µm and an average with of 100 nm assembled from nanoparticles. The effects of the [salicylic acid]/[aniline] ratio on the size and capacitance of PANI nanotubes were studied. The specific capacitance behavior of the PANI nanotubes was also investigated by using cyclic voltammogram and galvanostatic charge–discharge tests. A maximum discharge‐specific capacitance of 422.5 F/g could be achieved, suggesting its potential application in electrode material for electrochemical capacitors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.