Core-shell attapulgite@polyaniline composite particles via in situ oxidative polymerization

A facile method was developed for the preparation of core-shell attapulgite@polyaniline (ATP@PANI) composite particles via in situ oxidative polymerization after the surface modification of the attapulgite nano-fibrillar clay (ATP) with anilinium chloride salt. The possible encapsulation mechanism was supposed. The composite particles were characterized by FTIR, UV–vis, and TGA. The core-shell morphologies of the composite particles like Chinese date were confirmed by TEM and SEM. The effect of the concentration of hydrochloric acid on the morphologies and the electrical conductivities of the ATP@PANI composite particles was also investigated.