Synthesis and characterization of epoxidized polybutadiene/polyaniline graft conducting copolymer

In this article the synthesis and characterization of an elastomeric conducting material, obtained by grafting polyaniline (EB) on commercial cis- 1,4-polybutadiene (PB), are described. PB was first partially epoxidized in chloroform solution using meta-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA). The conducting polymer was then grafted to the activated polybutadiene (EPB) via the aminolysis reaction between the polyaniline NH2 terminal groups and the oxirane rings. The material so obtained (EPBPAN) and the epoxidized intermediate product were characterized by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, Fourier transform infrared, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, thermal and mechanical analysis, and electrical conductivity measurements. The effect of the sample deformation on conductivity also was analyzed. The HCl doping of the EPBPAN film induced crosslinking reactions, generated by the acid cleavage of unreacted oxirane groups. The electrical conductivity of the doped material reached values of about 10(-5) Omega(-1) cm(-1). The key characteristics of our elastomeric conducting material are its simple synthesis, its starting as a commercial product, and the solubility of its undoped form in a common low-boiling organic solvent like chloroform. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.