Enzymatically Polymerized Conducting Polyaniline/Biodegradable Polymer Composite

The development of obscurant materials has become increasingly important for the prevention of detection in the battlefield. An obscurant is a material that modifies the spectral signatures over a wide wavelength range and renders detection based on specific spectral signatures difficult. While the obscurant materials currently available have multi-spectral capability, there is a need to develop obscurants that are biodegradable and nonpersistent to overcome problems associated with environmental toxicity. The objective of this Phase I proposal is to develop biodegradable obscurant materials that possess the same or surpass the multi-spectral capabilities of the current materials. Further, the materials should be produced in an environmentally benign production process. Materials based on composites of doped polyaniline/polyanion complex and the biodegradable polymer chitosan will be developed. The doped polyanilines will be synthesized in an aqueous medium using enzymatic polymerization of aniline in the presence of a polydopant, namely, poly (vinylphosphonic acid), under close to neutral PH condition. The soluble polycomplex will be precipitated by the addition of polycationic biodegradable chitosan and processed into films and fibers. The multi-spectral capabilities of the composites will be determined. BENEFITS: The water soluble conducting polyaniline that will be synthesized can be used as a multi-spectral obscurant and will find application in the electronic battlefield by preventing detection by enemy sensors. A biodegradable polymer base makes the multi-spectral obscurant environmentally nontoxic and nonpersistent.