High‐Performance Polyaniline Prepared via Polymerization in a Self‐Stabilized Dispersion

Abstract We report a new synthetic method for the preparation of high‐performance polyaniline, implementing a new concept of self‐stabilized dispersion polymerization. In contrast with conventional homogeneous or dispersion polymerization methods that use an aqueous medium containing aniline, acid, and oxidant, our new polymerization is performed in a heterogeneous biphasic system of organic and aqueous medium without any stabilizers. Here, the monomers and growing polymer chains act as stabilizers, resulting in excellent dispersion of the organic phase inside the aqueous reaction medium. Polymerization based on this concept has produced high‐quality samples with few structural defects; the doped polyanilines exhibit conductivities (σ DC ∼ 600–800 S cm –1 ) almost three times that of the samples prepared using conventional methods. Moreover, the new polyaniline system shows a honeycomb‐like morphology with great porosity, leading to a system with excellent processibility.