Electrochemical characteristics of polyaniline synthesized by various methods

The influence of polymerization conditions on the electrochemical properties and morphology of polyaniline are studied. It is found that the charge/discharge performance of chemically synthesized polyaniline is greatly influenced by the oxidizing reagents used for the polymerization. Cu(BF4)2 and Fe(ClO4)3 are particularly suitable reagents. Protons in the reaction media exert a strong influence on the morphology and electrochemical properties of polyaniline in both chemical and electrochemical polymerization processes. A novel process for chemically synthesizing polyaniline is developed to obtain polyaniline with superior electrochemical properties. In this process, polyaniline/ HBF4 salt is oxidized with Cu(BF4)2/acetonitrile and produces fibrous polyaniline with good doping/undoping reversibility.