Polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes have been synthesized employing chemical polymerization with acetic acid as dopant. The synthesized PANI nanotubes were characterized by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), Uv-visible spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The SEM and TEM analysis clearly reveals the formation of PANI nanotubes, with outer diameter in the range of 50-150 nm and length in several microns. The Uv-visible and FTIR spectra exhibit characteristic features corresponding to electrically conducting phase of doped PANI. Field emission (FE) studies of the PANI nanotubes were performed in planar diode configuration at a base pressure of similar to 1 x 10(-8) Torr. From the FE results, value of the turn on field required to draw an emission current density of 1 mu A/cm(2) was found to be 1.55 V/mu m and current density of 1 mA/cm(2) has been drawn at an applied field of 3.8 V/mu m. The PANI nanotubes emitter exhibited good emission current stability at pre-set value of 1 mu A over duration of more than 3 h. The ease of synthesis route and interesting field emission properties recommend the PANI nanotubes as a promising material for field emission based applications in vacuum micro-nanoelectronic devices. (C) 2011 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3582525] All rights reserved.