The role of functionality and rigidity of the amphiphilic dopants on the morphology and electrical property of the polyaniline-clay nanocomposites (PANICNs) were studied by preparing polyaniline (PANI) and PANICNs using five structurally different amphiphilic dopants having backbone-phenyl, naphthyl, alicyclic, and alkyl groups. Effect of the size and functionatity of the dopant on the extent of intercalation/exfoliation, morphology, thermal stability, and phase transitions were studied. PANICNs exhibited different morphologies such as nano/micro granules, rods, nanotubes, aggregated layers/clusters, and rice grain for PANICN-2,6-naphthalene sulphonic acid, PANICN-para-toluene sulphonic acid, PANICN-stearic acid, PANICN-dodecyl benzene sulphonic acid, and PANICN-camphor sulphonic acid, respectively. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and scanning electron microscopic studies showed that the self-assembled nano/microstured aggregates were formed by the combined effect of many noncovalent interactions such as phenylphenyl stacking, hydrogen bonding, ion-dipole interaction, pi-pi stacking, and electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembling. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 113: 4066-4076, 2009.