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Title: Chemical synthesis of chiral conducting polymers

Patent ·
OSTI ID:959130

An process of forming a chiral conducting polymer, e.g., polyaniline, is provided including reacting a monomer, e.g., an aniline monomer, in the presence of a chiral dopant acid to produce a first reaction mixture by addition of a solution including a first portion of an oxidizing agent, the first portion of oxidizing agent characterized as insufficient to allow complete reaction of the monomer, and further reacting the first reaction mixture in the presence of the chiral dopant acid by addition of a solution including a second portion of the oxidizing agent, the second portion of oxidizing agent characterized as insufficient to allow complete reaction of the monomer, and repeating the reaction by addition of further portions of the oxidizing agent until the monomer reaction is complete to produce a chiral conducting polymer, e.g., polyaniline. A preferred process includes addition of a catalyst during the reaction, the catalyst selected from among the group consisting of phenylene diamine, aniline oligomers and amino-capped aniline oligomers and metal salts.The processes of the present invention further provide a resultant polyaniline product having a chirality level defined by a molar ellipticity of from about 40.times.10.sup.3 degree-cm.sup.2/decimole to about 700.times.10.sup.3 degree-cm.sup.2/decimole. The processes of the present invention further provide a resultant polyaniline product having a nanofiber structure with a diameter of from about 30 nanometers to about 120 nanometers and from about 1 micron to about 5 microns in length.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
Assignee:
Los Alamos National Security, LLC (Los Alamos, NM)
Patent Number(s):
7,476,765
Application Number:
11/485,044
OSTI ID:
959130
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (7)

Electrochemical preparation of chiral polyaniline nanocomposites journal October 1999
Electrochemical Formation of Chiral Polyaniline Colloids Codoped with (+)- or (−)-10-Camphorsulfonic Acid and Polystyrene Sulfonate journal September 1998
Facile preparation of optically active polyanilines via the in situ chemical oxidative polymerisation of aniline journal October 1999
Double-strand polyaniline journal January 1997
Spectroelectrochemical study of polyaniline: the construction of a pH-potential phase diagram journal March 1987
Chemical generation of optically active polyaniline via the doping of emeraldine base with (+)- or (?)-camphorsulfonic acid journal January 1995
Preparation of chiral conducting polymer colloids journal January 1997