Comparative study of electroactive polyaniline, poly (o-aminobenzyl alcohol) and poly (o-aminobenzoic acid)

Abstract

Polyaniline (PANI), poly(o-aminobenzyl alcohol) (PoABAL), and poly(o-aminobenzoic acid) (PoABAC) have been synthesized and their properties compared by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared (IR) and ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis) spectroscopy. The lower conductivities measured for PoABAL (≈10-1 Scm-1) and PoABAC (≈10-9Scm-1) can be rationalized on the basis of the bulky substituent groups, which lower the degree of conjugation along the polymer chain as well as decreasing inter-chain diffusion of charge carriers. For PoABAC, where self-doping is possible via the COOH group, the very low conductivity measured is attributed to the electron-withdrawing effect of the acid group and electron localization through the formation of a six-membered chelate structure.