Novel nanostructured star-shaped polyaniline derivatives and their electrospun nanofibers with gelatin

Abstract

The aim of this study is the synthesis, characterization, and investigation of some physicochemical properties of star-shaped polyaniline and polyanisidine. The star-shaped conductive polymers were synthesized chemically and electrochemically via a “core-first” method from tannic acid. The chemical structures of all the samples as representatives were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. The electroactivity behaviors of the synthesized samples were verified under cyclic voltammetric conditions, and their conductivities were determined using the four-probe technique. According to the results, the synthesized star-shaped polymers showed higher electrical conductivity and electroactivity than those of the corresponding homo-polymers in both chemical and electrochemical approaches. These results originated from the spherical, three-dimensional, and nanostructured morphologies of the star-shaped polymers, which allows sufficient overlapping of π-orbitals. Solutions of the chemically synthesized star-shaped conducting polymers, and gelatin were electrospun to produce uniform, conductive, and biocompatible nanofibers.