Oriented gold nanoparticle-polyaniline nanorods with nanofibers of controlled density on their surface.

We report here the preparation of fibrous gold nanoparticles-polyaniline (PANI) nanorod composite as an extension of our previous work in nanostructured conducting polymers. We have been able to control the amount of gold particles and the density of nanofibers covering the surface of the nanorods, which are characterized by selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The morphology of PANI products is confirmed by both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and TEM. The effect of reaction conditions on the morphology of PANI nanostructures is also studied. The chemical and electronic structures of the PANI nanorods are determined by Fourier transform IR (FTIR) and UV-vis spectrometry. I-V curves of as-prepared PANI nanostructures measured by conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) indicate negative differential resistance (NDR) behavior.