Conductivity change, template polymerization

Nanocable chemosensors have been formed in which an inner core fiber filament is further modified by polymerization of the conducting polymer on its surface. This was first described for sensing by Zhang et al. in which a carbon fiber was used as the template for the electrochemical polymerization of a thin film of PANI [27]. The resulting nanoelectrode sensor was used to detect changes in pH resulting from the level of protonation in the polymer backbone. PPy nanofibers have been formed by the electrospinning of nylon fibers. 

By changing the doping level, dopant, and template-dissolving solvents, the electrical and optical properties of the nanotubes and nanowires can be controlled. The diameters of the conducting polymer nanotubes and nanowires are in the range 100-200 nm, depending on the diameter of the nanoporous template used, it was found that the polymerization was initiated from the wall-side of the AAO template. The synthesized nanotubes have an open end at the top with the filled end at the bottom. As polymerization time increases, the nanotubes will be filled and nanowires will be formed with the length increased. For example,... 

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