Towards the higher solubility and thermal stability of poly(aniline-co-m-bromoaniline)

In the current study, we have described the synthesis and the physical properties of poly(aniline-co-m-bromoaniline) conducting copolymers. The copolymers of different composition are essentially obtained by varying the molar feed ratio of the two monomers. The higher solubility of the copolymers could be procured as compared to polyaniline (PA) in different solvents. The electrical conductivity has been studied by two-probe method; at room temperature, the conductivity of the copolymer decreases upon increasing the molar ratio of m-bromoaniline monomer. The introduction of bromine (–Br) group reduces the degree of conjugation in the polymer chain. Thus, conduction of electrons is prohibited along the conjugated system. In the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), a three-stage decomposition of the copolymer has been observed. The copolymers of poly(aniline-co-m-bromoaniline) are thermally stable at high temperature. The composition of the copolymer has been confirmed from the binding energies of C–C, C–N, and C–Br in the XPS study.