In situ fabrication of a water-soluble, self-doped polyaniline nanocomposite: The unique role of DNA functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes into solvents affects their surface chemistries, electronic structures, and subsequent functionalization. In this Communication, a water-soluble self-doped polyaniline nanocomposite was fabricated by in situ polymerization of the 3-aminophenylboronic acid monomers in the presence of single-stranded DNA dispersed- and functionalized-single-walled carbon nanotubes. For the first time, we found that the carbon nanotubes became novel active stabilizers owing to the DNA functionalization. The nanotubes reduced the polyaniline backbone from the unstable, degradable, fully oxidized pernigraniline state to the stable, conducting emeraldine state because of their reductive ability, which could improve the chemical stability of the self-doped polyaniline. Electrical measurements demonstrate that the conductivity of the nanocomposite was much higher than that of the pure self-doped polyaniline in both acidic and neutral solutions.