Electropolymerization and spectroelectrochemical characterization of poly(1,5-diaminonaphthalene)

1,5-Diaminonaphthalene has been polymerized at glassy carbon and platinum electrodes in 0.1M HCL and acetonitrile solutions by potential cycling methods. The polymer film grown on the platinum electrode in an aqueous solution had a conductivity of ∼ 1 × 10−5 S/cm. The number of electrons used for the polymerization reaction was found to be about 4 per mole of the monomer from coulometric experiments. The polymer structure, in which monomers are postulated to be linked to each other through 1- and 5- positions of naphthalene, was consistent with the infrared spectroscopic data of the polymer and coulometric data for the polymerization reaction. When the polymer film is oxidized in 0.10M HCL, the band of 350 nm undergoes a blue shift to about 290 nm with its reduced absorption and a new band shows up at 580 nm with its absorption extending to wavelengths longer than 800 nm.