LIGHT-ASSISTED OXIDATIVE DOPING OF POLYANILINES

A novel doping phenomenon of fully reduced polyaniline and poly-o-methyl-aniline, "light-assisted oxidative doping", was found for the first time. The doping reaction was followed by FTIR, UV-VIS, ESR and electrical conductivity measurements. It was shown that the fully reduced polyanilines in the form of HCl-salts undergo a spontaneous transition from an insulator or semiconductor to a conductor when exposed to air and light, and their final molecular chain structures are analogous to those found in HCl-doped common polyanilines.