Fourier transform infrared spectra of transition metal ion-containing polyanilines synthesized in different reaction conditions

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been employed to investigate the detailed chain structure changes during the chemical oxidative polymerisation of aniline in different reaction conditions including different polarity reaction medium, reaction temperature, reactants molar ratio and in the presence of different transition metal ions such as Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+ and Cu2+. The results show that stronger polarity reaction medium and lower reaction temperature were beneficial to obtain 1,4-para-disubstituted linear chain structure polyaniline with higher electrical conductivity. The higher oxidation degree polyaniline contained more linear chain structure than that in lower oxidation degree. Polyanilines containing Fe2+ and Cu2+ had more linear chain structure than that containing Co2+ and Ni2+. These observations were in accordance with experimental measurements of electrical conductivity.