Tuning the supramolecular chirality of polyaniline by methyl substitution.

A game of Twister: The induced helicity of polyaniline and its supramolecular structures could be tuned by the methyl substitution of one of the monomers. By copolymerization of aniline with m-toluidine, the helicity of copolymer (PMANI) nanofibers was totally inverted compared to that of polyaniline (PANI), while copolymer nanofibers with o-toluidine (POANI) had the same helicity as that of polyaniline (see picture).