Poly(N-octadecylaniline) Synthesis and Its Electrochemical Parametric Characterizations

N-Substituted polyaniline (poly(N-octadecylaniline)) was prepared throughN-alkylation reaction, by introducing octadecyl chains into a highly stable"leucoemeraldine base" (LEB) form of polyaniline nanostructure synthesized viaa new chemical polymerization method. The polymer was characterized by FTIR,1H NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy techniques. Thermogravimetry (TG), derivativethermogravimetry (DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods werecarried out to investigate thermal behaviour of the obtained poly (N-octadecylaniline).Thermal analysis showed two endothermic transitions at 41°C and 60°C during theheating and two exothermic transitions at 20°C and 43°C during the cooling stages.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study revealed a significant morphology changeby grafting of octadecyl chains onto the polyaniline backbone. The electrical conductivityof poly(N-octadecylaniline) that was doped with dodecylbenzene sulphonicacid (DBSA) was 8×10-4 S.cm-1 and the investigation of cyclic voltammograms (CV)showed that the electroactivity of this polymer is acceptable. The obtained polymer wascompletely soluble in non-polar organic solvents such as xylene and n-hexane. A thinflexible film of the synthesized poly(N-octadecylaniline) was prepared by casting fromn-hexane solution and the electroactivity property of the obtained film was investigatedby CV method.