MOLECULAR-WEIGHT OF POLYANILINE SYNTHESIZED BY OXIDATION OF ANILINE WITH AMMONIUM PERSULFATE AND WITH FERRIC-CHLORIDE

The results of molecular weight (MW) determinations by GPC on polyanil ine (PAn) (as leucoemeraldine base (LEE)) synthesized by oxidation of aniline (An) with ammonium persulfate (AP) and with ferric chloride (F C) are presented together with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and visc osity measurements. After extraction with acetonitrile (AN) and tetrah ydrofuran (THF), PAn shows a unimodal MW distribution. The Mn and Mw o f PAn synthesised with AP and FC are: 9,900, 50,700 and 13,500, 55,300 , respectively. The intensity-weighted particle size distribution (PSD I) determined by DLS in LEE solutions is also unimodal. The mean diame ter of the LEE macromolecules is 5 and 7 nm for PAn synthesised with A P and FC, respectively.