Chemical and electrochemical grafting of polyaniline onto poly(vinyl chloride): synthesis, characterization, and materials properties

Abstract

We have designed and developed a new strategy for the chemical and electrochemical graft copolymerization of aniline onto poly(vinyl chloride). For this purpose, first phenylamine groups were incorporated into poly(vinyl chloride) via a nucleophilic substitution reaction in the presence of a solvent composed of 4-aminophenol, potassium carbonate, and dry N,N-dimethylformamide at room temperature, in order to avoid cross-linking. The macromonomer obtained was used in chemical and electrochemical oxidation copolymerization with aniline monomer to yield a poly(vinyl chloride)-g-polyaniline (PVC-g-PANI) graft copolymer. The chemical structures of samples as representatives were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared and H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. The electroactivity behaviors of the synthesized samples were verified under cyclic voltammetric conditions. The electrical conductivity and electroactivity measurements showed that the PVC-g-PANI graft copolymer has lower electrical conductivity as well as electroactivity than those of the pure PANI. However, the lower electrical conductivity and electroactivity levels in this material can be improved at the price of solubility and processability. Moreover, the thermal behavior and chemical composition of the synthesized graft copolymer were investigated. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.