Corrosion-free electrochemical synthesis of polyaniline using Cu counter electrode in acidic medium

Polyaniline (PAni) was electrochemically synthesized from aniline sulfate (AS) in the presence and in absence of H2SO4 using Cu counter electrode. No significant corrosion of the Cu electrode was found while synthesizing from AS in presence of H2SO4, whereas relatively higher corrosion of Cu as well as contamination of synthesized PAni with corroded Cu were observed for the synthesis from aniline in presence of H2SO4 or from AS in the absence of H2SO4. Corrosion-free synthesis yields PAni free from contamination of Cu and exhibits smaller particle size and superior electrical and supercapacitive behavior compared to the process exhibiting corrosion of counter electrode.