Polyaniline/magnetite nanocomposites consisting of polyaniline (PANI) nanorods surrounded by magnetite nanoparticles were prepared via an in situ self-assembly process in the presence of PANI nanorods. The synthesis is based on the well-known chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline in an acidic environment, with ammonium persulfate (APS) as the oxidant. An organic acid (dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, DBSA) was used to replace the conventional strong acidic (1 M HCl) environment. Here, dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid is used not only as dopant, but also as surfactant in our reaction system. So, DBSA can excellently control the morphology and size of PANI nanorods and magnetite particles. Magnetite particles were formed simultaneously during sedimentation, and the formed nanorods were also decorated by the particles. The resulting PANI/magnetite composites were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It is found that PANI/magnetite nanorod composites have uniform size, superparamagnetism and a small mass fraction of magnetite, thermal stabilization even at a higher temperature. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.