The consideration of polyaniline (PANI) as a supramolecular assembly similar to J-aggregates of dyes is proposed. Fibrils with a length of more than 100 nm and a diameter of about 4 nm are formed in water during aniline polymerization, as shown by small-angle X-ray scattering. Long-wavelength absorption of the fi brils, redshifted with respect to highly crystalline PANI fi lm supports the idea about the formation of J-aggregates. Their formation, similar to dyes, is promoted by the addition of a sulfonated polyelectrolyte and becomes more pronounced with an increase of the molar mass of the polyelectrolyte. Self-organization of aniline oligomers in a polar environment is confi rmed by atomistic molecular dynamics simulations.
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