Redox-Switchable Surface Wrinkling on Polyaniline Film

Abstract

Here the redox-driven switch between the wrinkled and dewrinkled states on poly-aniline (PANI) film is reported. This switch is derived from the reversible transition in different intrinsic redox states of polyaniline (e.g., between emeraldine salt (ES) and leucoemeraldine base (LEB) or between ES and pernigraniline base (PB)) that are involved in the redox reaction, coupled with the corresponding volume expansion/shrinkage. Interestingly, the as-wrinkled ES film becomes deswollen and dewrinkled when reduced to the LEB state or oxidized to the PB state. Conversely, oxidation of the LEB film or reduction of the PB film into the swollen ES film leads to the reoccurrence of surface wrinkling. Furthermore, the reducibility of the dewrinkled LEB film and the oxidizability of the dewrinkled PB film are well utilized respectively to yield various wrinkled PANI-based composite films.

Keywords: conducting polymers; mechanical properties; polyaniline; redox-switchable surfaces; surface wrinkling.