Polymerization of aniline in the channels of micro- and mesoporous materials

Preparation of conducting polymers incorporated within porous materials, that is, zeolites and mesoporous materials, is an attractive methodology to obtain composite materials where the organic polymer may exhibit an increased mechanical and chemical performance compared to the pure polymer. For any application, a crucial issue is the polymer content of the resulting composite material. In fact, a major limitation of the use of hosts has been up to now the low loading of conducting polymer that has been achieved. Based on the composition of related composite materials, a weight percentage of the organic polymer of at least 25% should be attained. We now report the polymerization of aniline within the pores of aluminosilicates and the characterization of the encapsulated polymer/host composites. These composites have potential as stable molecular wires and their applications in the design of batteries and systems to accumulate electric charge are currently being developed. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.