Patents

The invention provides a process for the preparation of polyaniline (PANI), wherein, PAN1 is prepared from aniline in the presence of a mixture of two protic acids in a non-aqueous solvent and using benzoyl peroxide as an oxidant. PAN1 base prepared from this method is soluble in many organic solvents. PAN1 base showed a solubility of 30-40% in low polar solvents such as dichloromethane, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, 1,2-dichloroethane, etc. and a solubility of 20-90% in high polar solvents such as dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, N-methylpyrrolidinone, m-cresol, etc. PAN1 salt showed a reasonable conductivity. Therefore, PAN1 prepared using this process is commercially advantageous and suitable for industrial applications.