Syneresis and fibrillation of conducting polyaniline gels

The results of the analysis of the morphology of highly conducting polyaniline/ m-cresol gels are reported. It is shown that the procedure used to prepare gels of conductivities ranging from 3 to 150 S/cm implies: (a) syneresis, associated with phase separation, which is provoked by a lowering of the quality level of the solvent due to absorption of humidity, (b) fibrillar morphology, due to the facility of the stiff, fully protonated, polyaniline chains to be orientated.