On the action of ozone on undoped and doped alkyl and N-alkyl-substituted polyanilines

N-Methyl- and N-ethyl-substituted polyaniline (PANT) as well as 2-ethyl- and 3-ethyl-substituted PANI have been ozone treated in CHCl3 solutions. All the polyamines have been studied in their undoped state (emeraldine-base) and doped with camphorsulphonic acid (CSA). The reactions have been followed by electronic spectroscopy and in all cases radical cations (or polarons) were found to be the early reaction intermediate. Alkyl-substituted-PANI show higher reaction rate constants with O-3 in comparison to unsubstituted PANI. In CHCl3 solution 3-ethyl-PANI reacts with O-3 slower than cis-1,4-polyisoprene. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.