Polyaniline dispersion and method for making same

Claim 1

A method of making an aqueous dispersion of a conductive polymer, comprising reacting a solution of an oxidatively polymerizeable aromatic amine and an oxidizing agent, capable of effecting the oxidative polymerization of said aromatic amine, in an aqueous acid in which said acid functions as a doping agent to impart electrical conductivity to said conductive polymer when subsequently formed, wherein further present in said solution is an aromatic polyalkyleneoxide having an aromatic group linked to one or more polymer chains of monomer units selected from ethylene oxide and propylene oxide wherein the total number of monomer units is greater than 20, said aromatic polyalkyleneoxide is present in sufficient amount to enhance the stability of said conductive polymer in an aqueous solvent.

Claim 11

A method of making an aqueous dispersion of a conductive polymer, comprising forming an aqueous solution of an oxidatively polymerizeable aromatic amine, an oxidizing agent capable of effecting the oxidative polymerization of said aromatic amine, a 0.5 to 2.5 molar acid doping agent which imparts electrical conductivity to said conductive polymer when subsequently formed, wherein said aromatic amine is present in a concentration of from 0.1 to 15 grams per 100 grams of said 0.5 to 2.5 molar acid, and an aromatic polyalkylene oxide selected from the group consisting of a compound of the general formula I: wherein x is nitrogen or oxygen, Y is a polymer chain selected from polyethyleneoxide, polypropyleneoxide and copolymers of polyethyleneoxide and polypropyleneoxide, said polymer having about Z repeating units, n is an integer from 1 to 2, and the product of n times Z is from about 20 to about 250, and R is one or more substituent groups selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, arylamino, hydroxy, nitro and halogen; a compound of the general formula II: wherein Y and R are defined as for formula I, n is the integar 1 and R' is an aryl or substituted aryl group; a salt of a compound of formula I; and a salt of a compound of formula II; maintaining said solution at a temperature of between -5°C and 35°C for sufficient time to form said conductive polymer.