Molecular Properties of Sulfonated Polyaniline

The molecular characteristics of internally doped sulfonated polyaniline with a sulfonation degree of similar to 1 are studied by the methods of viscometry and dynamic light scattering. In diluted aqueous-saline solutions, the molecules of sulfonated polyaniline are individual entities; they do not form intermolecular associates and do not dissociate into separate components. An increase in the concentration of NaCl in solution from 0 to 1 mol/l brings about a sharp gain in the intrinsic viscosity of the polymer and in the hydrodynamic radius of molecules. This effect results from the decomposition of zwitterion pairs responsible for the compact conformation of polymer molecules in water. The equilibrium rigidity of sulfonated polyaniline molecules is calculated from the hydrodynamic characteristics determined in a 1 M NaCl solution, where the electrostatic interaction may be considered to be suppressed. A length of the Kuhn segment of 1.46 nm is higher by a factor of 1.5 than the corresponding length for the initial polyaniline.