Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Study of the Redox Process of Poly(2,2[sup ʹ]-dithiodianiline)

The redox process undergone by the electrochemically synthesized poly( -dithiodianiline), poly(DTDA), has been examined in acetonitrile-water mixtures by electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. The spectroscopic properties of this material are equivalent to those exhibited by the chemically synthesized one. The polymeric structure displays a ladder structure, with S-S bonds serving as interconnections between two adjacent polyaniline chains. The kinetic reversibility of the reaction is very poor for the DTDA monomer species, and this irreversibility is retained in the polymeric material. According to the results presented, the hypothesis that poly(DTDA) could display a high energy density due to the simultaneity of the and electrochemical transformations does not seem justified.