Self-assembly and characterization of polyaniline and sulfonated polystyrene multilayer-coated colloidal particles and hollow shells

Abstract

Conductive core-shell particles were prepared by the deposition of polyaniline (PANI) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) multilayers onto polystyrene (PS) colloidal particles via the alternate electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique. PSS was used as a polymeric counterion for multilayer formation as well as a stabilizer and codopant for PANI. Electrophoresis, FT-IR spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the regular growth of PSS/PANI multilayers on PS colloidal particles. It was found that the PSS/PANI-coated particle is oxidatively more stable due to stabilization of the partially oxidized emeraldine salt by PSS. The conductivity of (PSS/PANI..