Structure–electrical property study of anisotropic polyaniline films

Abstract

AbstractThe relationships of the structure and electrical properties of anisotropic HCl‐doped polyaniline (PANI) films cast from N,N′‐dimethylpropylene urea (DMPU) solutions and stretched to different draw ratios were studied. The anisotropic structure of the stretched PANI films was examined by X‐ray diffraction, near‐infrared wave‐guide coupling, and polarized infrared measurements. The PANI emeraldine base (EB) films cast from DMPU solutions had a single‐phase noncrystalline structure, and stretching of the films did not cause crystallization to occur. The transition moment angles of two weakly absorbing infrared bands were determined, and the Hermans' orientation functions for the PANI EB films were calculated. The PANI films were then doped with HCl, and the electrical properties were determined by impedance spectroscopy. With a specially designed test fixture, the in‐plane and through‐plane impedance was obtained. The conductivity along the stretch direction increased with orientation. The in‐plane conductivity was significantly higher than the through‐plane conductivity. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 823–841, 2003