Shape-controlled Synthesis of Dandelion-like Poly(m-phenylenediamine)

A facile method was demonstrated to grow poly(m-phenylenediamine) (PmPD) microtube arrays and hierarchical dandelion-like microstructures, which was carried out by mixing ammonium persulfate (APS) aqueous and m-phenylenediamine solution in the presence of Fe(NO3)3 at room temperature. As-prepared PmPD microtubes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques (FTIR). The influence of both temperature and concentration of Fe(NO3)3 on the morphology of PmPD was also investigated and they are found to play an important role in the formation of microtubes. Moreover, the growth process was tentatively proposed on the basis of different polymerization stages.