Synthesis and characterization of poly (o-phenylenediamine) hollow multi-angular microrods by interfacial method

Poly (o-phenylenediamine) (PoPD) hollow multi-angular microrods have been synthesized at 10 °C via an interfacial process using ferric chloride and o-phenylenediamine (oPD) as starting materials. The chemical structure of the one dimensional (1D) superstructure is proved to be phenazine-like, and contains the benzenoid and quinoid imine units doped partly with Cl. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations indicate that the resulting superstructure of PoPD is built from hollow nanofibers aligned parallel to the fiber axis by van der Waals' force. The possible formation mechanism of the structure has been proposed.