Anodic polymerization of aromatic compounds in centrifugal fields

Polyaniline (PANI), polythiophene (PT) and polypyrrole (PPy) films were electrochemically synthesized under centrifugal acceleration ranging 1-300g. The polymerization rate of the studied monomers was found to be affected by the applied gravitational force. The polymers thus synthesized with and without centrifugation also exhibited clear differences in their physical and chemical properties. In addition, morphological structure of the polymer films was also affected by the centrifugal field. The effect of the force exerted on the working electrode was found to be anisotropic. A mechanism for the electrochemical deposition of the polymers under centrifugal force has also been proposed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.