Conjugated Polymeric Nanostructures

The typical conjugated polymers (CPs] with conjugated chain structures include polyacetylene, polypyrrole (PPy], polythiophene (PTh], polyaniline (PANl] and their derivatives.The conjugated structures exhibit strong UV-Vis absorptions in visible 

CP nanomaterials can be synthesized by chemical or electrochemical methods. In chemical reactions generally powdery nanomaterials are produced and can be scaled up. Nanostructures of CP deposited on the electrode surface as films by electropolymerization have limited surfaces compared to the materials obtained by chemical synthesis. Nanostructures generally grow along the direction of the electric field to form oriented structures. The electrochemical polymerization reaction rate can be controlled through the applied potential or current density, and controlled amount of product can also be obtained. The morphology of the nanomaterials may also be modulated by the conditions of electropolymerization. Electrochemical polymerization is an 

The heterocyclic monomers, i.e., pyrrole, aniline and 3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT], with oxidation potentials lower than that of water decomposition can be electrochemically polymerized in aqueous media. However, the solubility of aromatic 

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Similar approach has also been taken by Ferain and Legras [133,137,138] and De Pra et al. [139] to produce nanostructured materials based on the template of the membrane with etched pores. Polycarbonate film was also of use as the base membrane of the template, and micro- and nanopores were formed by precise control of the etching procedure. Their most resent report showed the successful formation of ultrasmall pores and electrodeposited materials of which sizes were as much as 20 nm [139]. Another attractive point of these studies is the deposited materials in the etched pores. Electrochemical polymerization of conjugated polymer materials was demonstrated in these studies, and the nanowires based on polypyrrole or polyaniline were formed with a fairly cylindrical shape reflecting the side wall structure of the etched pores. Figure 10 indicates the shape of the polypyrrole microwires with their dimension changes by the limitation of the thickness of the template. 

Due to the enhanced conductivity and consequent improved electrochemical performance, the cathode materials of conjugated polymers/ inorganic have attracted much attention in a wide range, and some novel nanostructures have been recently proposed. Mai et al. reported the preparation of coaxial or triaxial nanowires of MoO and AgVO coated with conducting PTh or PANI based on the in situ polymerization method [29,76], and the capacity retention rates were significantly enhanced due... 

There are various methods to synthesize polymer nanostructures, i.e., template synthesis, chiral reactions, self-assembly, interfacial polymerization and electrospinning. Recent developments in conducting polymer nanotubes and nanofibers were summarized by Long et al. Different preparation methods, physical properties, and potential applications of one-dimensional nanostructures of conjugated polyaniline (PANI), pol5 3nrole (PPy) and poly (3, 4-ethylenediox3d hiophene) (PEDOT) were discussed. 

Multifunctional micro- and nanostructures of conjugated polymers have received great attention. Some of them have several advantages, for example, pyrrole, aniline, and 3,4-etylenedioxythiopene have properties of easy polymerization, high conductivity, and good... 

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