Poly(phenylene sulfide−tetraaniline): The Soluble Conducting Polyaniline Analogue with Well-Defined Structures

A novel conducting polymer poly(phenylene sulfide−tetraaniline) (PPSTEA), with tetraaniline (TA) and phenylene sulfide (PS) segments in its repeat unit, has been synthesized through an acid-induced polycondensation reaction of 4-methylsulfinylphenyl-capped tetraaniline. The new polymer, which represents the first soluble conducting polyaniline analogue with well-defined structure, has high molecular weight, good solubility in common solvents, and good film-forming properties. Its electrical property is analogous to polyaniline. The conductivity of preliminarily protonic-doping PPSTEA is up to 10 0 S/cm. This synthetic strategy appears to be general for developing novel well-defined polyaniline analogue containing much longer fixed conjugation length.