Molecular Recognition Solvents for Electrically Conductive Polyaniline

Due to its semirigid nature, electrically conductive polyaniline (PANI) has long been regarded as an intractable material, i.e. infusible and poorly soluble in organic compounds. Among the rare exceptions is camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) doped PANI, which exhibits good solubility in m-cresol, whereas for other sulfonic acid dopants (e.g. dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA)) the solubility in common solvents is poor. We report exceptionally high solubility of fully DBSA and CSA protonated PANI in a crystalline compound, 1,3-dihydroxybenzene, i.e. resorcinol. Up to 20−30 wt % of PANI(DBSA)0.5 and PANI(CSA)0.5 can be dissolved in resorcinol at 200−220 °C to form particle-free films as observed by optical microscopy. High PANI complex concentrations require high temperatures for dissolution, suggesting UCST behavior with a high critical temperature. Optical microscopy, calorimetry, and X-ray analysis suggest that the solution initially is amorphous. With time, crystallinity develops within the sample, due to part...