Synthesis of nanostructured conducting polyaniline in the presence of 5-sulfosalicylic acid

Abstract

Oxidative polymerizations of aniline with ammonium peroxydisulfate in aqueous solution of 5-sulfosalicylic acid (SSA), were performed at the constant molar ratio [oxidant]/[monomer] = 1.25, by using various initial molar ratios of SSA to aniline. It was shown that the ratio [SSA]/[aniline] has a crucial influence on the molecular structure, morphology, and conductivity of synthesized polyaniline-5-sulfosalicylate (PANI-SSA), as well as on the yield and temperature profile i.e. the mechanism of polymerization process. The yield of PANI-SSA was 80 - 86% for [SSA]/[aniline] ratios in the range 0.25-1.0. Granular PANI-SSA was obtained by the oxidative polymerization of in situ formed anilinium 5-sulfosalicylate ([SSA]/[aniline] = 1.0). The initial induction period was followed by the rapid exothermic polymerization of aniline during the oxidation of anilinium 5-sulfosalicylate with peroxydisulfate. Nanostru-ctured PANI-SSA was synthesized by the oxidation of the mixture of di-anilinium 5-sulfosalicylate and aniline ([SSA]/[aniline] = 0.25), which proceeds in two exothermic phases well separated with an athermal period. The presence of nanocylinders (nanorods, possibly nanotubes), with the average diameter of 95-250 nm and the length of 0.5-1.0 μm has been revealed by scanning electron microscopy. It was concluded that PANI nanocylinders are formed when reaction solution has the initial pH ≥ 3.5. Electroconductivity of synthesized polyanilines was in the range 0.01-0.17 S cm-1, and it increases with increasing molar ratio of SSA to aniline. Molecular structure of synthesized polyanilines was investigated by FTIR spectroscopy. Besides the characteristic bands of standard PANI in eme- raldine form (benzenoid, quinonoid, and semiquinonoid units), the band attributable to substituted phenazine structural units was observed at ∼1415 cm-1 in the FTIR spectrum of nanostructured PANI-SSA sample.