Molecular structure polyaniline synthesis

Some conjugated polymers, such as polythiophene and polyaniline were synthesized already in the last century [8a,b], It is not surprising that, for example, polyaniline has played a major role in research directed toward synthetic metals because it possesses a relatively stable conducting state and it can be easily prepared by oxidation of aniline, even in laboratories without pronounced synthetic expertise (see section 2.6). It is often overlooked, however, that a representation of, for example, polypyrrole or polyaniline by the idealized structures 1 and 2 does not adequately describe reality, since various structural defects can occur (chart 1). Further, there is not just one polypyrrole, instead each sample made by electrochemical oxidation must be considered as a unique sample, the character of which depends intimately on the conditions of the experiment, such as the nature of the counterion or the current density applied (see section 2.5). Therefore, one would not at all argue against a practical synthesis, if the emphasis is on the active physical function and the commercial value of a material, even if this synthesis is quick and dirty . Care must be exercised, however, to reliably define the molecular structure before one proceeds to develop structure-property relationships and to define characteristic electronic features, such as effective conjugation length or polaron width. 

It should be mentioned that the defined interaction of dextran sulfate with amino functions is not only applied for the design of structures on the su-permolecular level but also on the molecular level. Thus, a preferred handed helical structure was induced into the polyaniline main chains by chemical polymerisation of achiral aniline in the presence of dextran sulfate as a molecular template. This affords a novel chemical route for the synthesis of chiral conducting polymers [158]. 

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