Processable colloidal dispersions of polyaniline-based copolymers for transparent electrodes

Copolymerization of aniline with substituted anilines can synergistically combine high electrical conductivity with good solubility and functionality. Here, we report the synthesis of a variety of polyaniline-based copolymer nanofibers with uniform diameters. The relationship between the feed ratio and the final composition is examined by NMR and UV-vis spectra. The conductivity of the copolymers can be tuned over a six order-of-magnitude range by varying the composition of the two building blocks. The copolymer nanofibers exhibit excellent colloidal stability with zeta-potential values as high as 40 mV, which enables them to be spray-coated to form transparent, conductive thin films with good optical properties. This simple process is scalable, and can lead to flexible or patterned films, which may be helpful for applications in organic electronics, optoelectronics, sensors, and energy storage devices.