Deposition of copolymer of aniline with o-chloro aniline by pulse potentiostatic method and characterization

Electrocopolymerization of aniline (ANI) with o-chloro aniline (OCA) was carried out using pulse potentiostatic method (PPSM). The polymeric films were grown on the surface of working electrode for various experimental conditions. Cyclic voltammograms of the deposited films were recorded under all the conditions. A growth equation was deduced as Growth=k[ANI][OCA]−1, where k is the rate constant for copolymer deposition, correlating the charge associated with the redox processes of the polymeric films with the experimental conditions. Formation of the copolymer with the mixture of monomers in the feed was ascertained by a critical comparison of the results obtained with the polymerization of the individual monomers, ANI and OCA, independently. The surface parameters like surface excess and thickness of the films were evaluated. Further characterization of the copolymer, poly(ANI-co-OCA) was done through conductivity measurements, FTIR and UV–VIS spectroscopic techniques.