Polyaniline Derivatives and Their Applications

Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the oldest, yet most profound conducting polymer discovered. It’s ease of synthesis, high conductivity, and environmental stability in the doped state makes it very attractive for a variety of potential applications. However, its insolubility and lack of redox stability has hindered many commercial applications. Consequently, many researchers have sought to overcome PANI’s deficiencies in many ways including the development of PANI derivatives. This chapter will discuss the synthesis, properties, and applications of PANI derivatives. We will discuss three types of PANI derivatives—substitution on the benzene ring, substitution on the nitrogen atom, and fused ring cores. The properties of the PANI-derivatives will be compared to pristine PANI. Finally, we will emphasize the applications that arise from these derivatives and how they compare to PANI.