High molecular weight soluble polypyrrole

High molecular weight, soluble, doped polypyrrole containing no substituent on the pyrrole ring has been synthesized by the incorporation of the novel, versatile di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate dopant anion which renders the polymer soluble in polar and also weakly polar or non-polar solvents. The M-w values corresponding to at least 303 pyrrole rings/polymer chain are observed in material which has at least 9 wt./vol.% solubility in NMP and significant solubility in solvents such as DMSO, DMF and m-cresol, etc. Free standing films exhibited conductivities ranging from similar to3 to 10(-3) S/cm depending on the solvent from which;. they were cast. Films cast from NW could be stretched to 2.5 times their original length to give a conductivity, sigma, of similar to 60 S/cm. The degree of crystallinity of films differed depending on the solvent from which they were cast. The TGA and DSC studies showed that the decomposition temperature was limited by the dopant anion. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.