Structure of electropolymerized polyacrylonitrile

In the present work polyacrylonitrile-homopolymer (PAN) is prepared by the electrochemical polymerization technique. Elemental analysis, IR, UV-visible, and X-ray spectroscopies were used to investigate the prepared samples. The fabricated samples exhibited the formation of different amorphous-like structures depending on the current density of preparation. The molecular weight obtained from the viscosity measurements is enhanced with increasing the current density. Thermogravimetric analysis emphasized that the synthesized homopolymer is stable up to a temperature of 215°C. All the formed samples are found to be soluble in organic solvents (DMF, DMSO). It is seen from the UV-visible spectra that the optical energy gaps for homopolymers decrease with enhancing the current density. The optical measurements indicated the presence of a well-defined transition which may be attributed to π-π* transition.