**An Electrochemical Study on the Copolymer Formed from Piperazine and Aniline Monomers**

### **Samiha Dkhili 1,2, Sara <sup>L</sup>ópez-Bernabeu 2, Chahineze Nawel Kedir 2, Francisco Huerta 3, Francisco Montilla 2, Salma Besbes-Hentati 1 and Emilia Morallon 2,\***


Received: 23 May 2018; Accepted: 12 June 2018; Published: 14 June 2018

**Abstract:** A study on the electrochemical oxidation of piperazine and its electrochemical copolymerization with aniline in acidic medium is presented. It was found that the homopolymerization of piperazine cannot be achieved under electrochemical conditions. A combination of electrochemistry, in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectroscopies was used to characterize both the chemical structure and the redox behavior of an electrochemically synthesized piperazine–aniline copolymer. The electrochemical sensing properties of the deposited material were also tested against ascorbic acid and dopamine as redox probes.

**Keywords:** copolymer; polyaniline; piperazine; FTIR in situ
