Fabrication of electromagnetic Fe3O4@polyaniline nanofibers with high aspect ratioElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: SEM and TEM images of Fe3O4@PANI nanofibers; FTIR spectra and XRD patterns of Fe3O4 microspheres, Fe3O4@PANI nanofibers, and Fe3O4@PANI microspheres; XPS spectra of Fe3O4@PANI nanofibers and Fe3O4@PANI microspheres. See DOI: 10.1039/c4ra14723e

• Main Authors: Ma, Yong, Qiao, Mingtao, Chen, Yanhui, Hou, Chunping, Zhang, Baoliang, Zhang, Qiuyu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c4ra14723e

Electromagnetic Fe 3 O 4 @polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers with high aspect ratio were realized by combining magnetic-field-induced (MFI) self-assembly and in situ surface polymerization of aniline. The key to fabrication is to induce chaining of the amino-Fe 3 O 4 microspheres during the PANI coating process, which allows additional deposited PANI to warp entire chains into nanofibers. Hydrogen bonds are thought to be the driving force that makes aniline form a PANI coating shell instead of irregular sheets. Compared to the Fe 3 O 4 @PANI microspheres, higher magnetization saturation value and conductivity value were achieved in the Fe 3 O 4 @PANI nanofibers, which hold high promise for potential applications in microwave absorbents, electromagnetic shielding coatings, and other usage associated with conventional electromagnetic techniques. High aspect ratio Fe 3 O 4 @polyaniline nanofibers prepared show better magnetization saturation and conductivity value compared to Fe 3 O 4 @polyaniline microspheres.