The carbonization of granular polyaniline to produce nitrogen-containing carbon

Polyaniline (PANI) was prepared by the oxidative polymerization of aniline. The deprotonated product, a PANI base, was carbonized in an inert atmosphere at temperatures up to 800 °C for various times. The mass decreased to 40–50 wt.% at temperatures above 600 °C. The progress of molecular structure during carbonization was followed by infrared and Raman spectroscopies. The carbonization at 650 °C for 1 h is suggested for the optimum conversion of PANI to carbon. The product retained the original globular structure of PANI. The conductivity of the carbonized material was low for carbonizations below 600 °C, <10−10 S cm−1, and increased to 10−4 S cm−1 after treatment at 800 °C. The content of nitrogen, ∼10 wt.%, was not affected appreciably by the carbonization.

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► A new nitrogen-containing carbon material has been obtained.
► Molecular structure corresponds to carbon material containing nitrogen atoms.
► The granular morphology of polyaniline was retained.
► The residue of the sample after carbonization is close to 60 wt.%.
► Content of nitrogen is above 15 wt.%, which is interesting for applications.