High-performance polyaniline prepared via polymerization in a self-stabilized dispersion

We report a new synthethic method for the preperation of high-performance polyaniline, implementing a new concept of self stabilized dispersion polymerized polymerization. In contrast with conventional homogenous or dispersion polymerization methods that use an aqueous medium containing aniline, acid, and oxidant, our new polymerization is performed in a heterogenous biphasic system of organic and aqueous medium without any stabilizers. Here the monomers and growing polymer chains act as stabilizers resulting in excellent dispersion of the organic phase inside the aqueous reaction medium. Polymerization based on this concept has produced high quality sampleswith a few structural defects, the doped polyanilines exhibit conductivities (sigma(DC) similar to 600-800 S cm(-1)) almost three times that of the samples prepared using conventional methods. Moreover, the new polyaniline system shows a honey comb like morphology with great porosity leading to a system with excellent possibility.