Electrochemical polymerization of 2-methyl-1-naphthylamine

Abstract

2-methyl-1-naphthylamine has been electropolymerized from the acidic aqueous solutions by three different synthetic routes. The polymerization products, deposited at a platinum working electrode as very adherent films, were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). In a strongly acidic medium, the products display redox properties, in a form of two well-defined redox pairs with the formal potentials at 0.19 V and 0.47 V vs. SCE. IR-spectroscopy indicated that the polymerization occurs via the -NH2 groups, by different coupling ways: N-C(4), N-C(5) and N-C(7), as well as that ClO4- ions incorporate themselves into the product of electropolymerization. GPC of the polymerization products evidenced oligomeric chains with molar masses up to 1600 g/mol as main species.