Optical properties of radiopolymerized polyaniline hydrochloride hosted in polyvinyl- alcohol matrix

Abstract EN

Aniline hydrochloride monomer was polymerized to polyaniline salt (emeraldine salt) and rendered as electro-chromatic material i.e.

colored conducting material by direct γ-radiation exposure to high dose up to 50 kGy.

The optical color of the material was shown as light green color to dark green color following the radiation doses rather than colourless indicating the polymerization of aniline salt.

The optical color and the polymerization was confirmed by using UV-visible spectroscopy, which gave rise to an absorbance band at 790 nm, the absorbance band in turn increased following the dose exponentially.

The band gap energy of PANI was obtained and shown to decrease with radiation dose down to 1 eV at 50 kGy indicating the electrical conductivity of PANI.

Raman spectroscopy showed a new bond C=N as a part of polaron conducting species created by irradiation, which has a Raman shift of 1637 cm-1.

The double bond of C=N, responsible for the appearance of the green color, increased was increase exponentially with radiation dose.

KEYWORDS: Optical properties, Radiopolymerized polyaniline.