SOLUBLE PRECURSOR ROUTE TO POLYANILINES

POLYANILINE IS OF INTEREST FOR POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS BECAUSE IT IS SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE TO SYNTHESIZE, AND BECAUSE IT IS BOTH ENVIRONMENTALLY STABLE AND STABLE TO RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE (200 DEGREES CELSIUS). HOWEVER, TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY THIS STABLE CONDUCTING POLYMER, NEW METHODS FOR PROCESSING MUST BE CREATED. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL DEVELOP A NOVEL SYNTHESIS TO POLYANILINE THROUGH A PRECURSOR POLYMER WHICH IS SOLUBLE IN (AND PROCESSIBLE FROM) COMMON ORGANIC SOLVENTS. THE PRECURSOR ROUTE WILL ENABLE SOLUTION PROCESSING INTO A DESIRED COMPOSITE OR MONOLITHIC SHAPE WITH SUBSEQUENT CONVERSION TO POLYANILINE THROUGH A SIMPLE THERMAL ELIMINATION REACTION. UNIAX WILL DEVELOP AND OPTIMIZE THE PROPOSED SYNTHETIC ROUTE TO PRODUCE BOTH A SOLUBLE PRECURSOR POLYMER AND PRECURSOR SOLUTIONS INTO FILMS AND FIBERS WILL BE INITIATED; THIS PROGRAM WILL BECOME THE FOUNDATION OF THE PHASE II EFFORT.