Ultrasonic synthesis of polyaniline nanotubes containing Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes containing Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized under ultrasonic irradiation of the aqueous solutions of aniline, ammonium peroxydisulfate (APS), phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄), and the quantitative amount of Fe₃O₄. It was found that the obtained samples had the morphologies of nanotubes. TEM images and selected area electronic diffractions showed that Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were embedded in PANI nanotubes. We thought that the mechanism of the formation of PANI/Fe₃O₄ nanotubes could be attributed to the ultrasonic irradiation and the H₃PO₄-aniline salt template. The molecular structure of PANI/Fe₃O₄ nanotubes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis absorption spectra and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The conductivity and magnetic properties of the PANI nanotubes containing Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were also investigated.