Electrically conductive composition and elements containing solubilized polyaniline complex

The element of claims wherein:

• said film-forming binder is a methyl methacrylate polymer, an ethyl methacrylate polymer, polyvinyl acetate, a styrene-olefin copolymer, a polyurethane, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl butyral, polycarbonate, a cellulose ester, a cellulose ether, an acrylamide polymer, a fluorinated vinyl ether polymer, a vinyl pyrrolidone polymer, an ionic polyester, an ionic acrylonitrile-vinylidene chloride polymer, methylcellulose, cellulose nitrate, gelatin, a gelatin derivative, or a polysaccharide,
• said polyaniline having a number average molecular weight of at least about 1000 daltons, and is prepared by polymerizing an aniline having the structure I:
• ##STR5## wherein R is the same or different at each occurrence and is an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkoxy group, a cycloalkyl group, a cycloalkenyl group, an alkanoyl group, an alkylthio group, an aryloxy group, an alkylthioalkyl group, an alkylaryl group, an arylalkyl group, an alkylsulfinyl group, an alkoxyalkyl group, an alkylsulfonyl group, an aryl group, an arylthio group, an arylsulfinyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an arylsulfonyl group, carboxy, halo or cyano, or any two R groups, taken together, are an alkylene group or alkenylene group completing a 3- to 7-membered aromatic or alicyclic ring fused to the central ring of structure I, and having carbon, nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen atoms or a sulfinyl group,
• m is an integer of from 1 to 5, and
• n is an integer of from 0 to 4, provided that the sum of m and n is 5, and
• said protonic acid has any of the structures II:
• A-R.sup.1 ##STR6## wherein A is sulfonic acid, R.sup.1 is an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkoxy group, a cycloalkyl group, a cycloalkenyl group, an alkanoyl group, an alkylthio group, an aryloxy group, an alkylthioalkyl group, an alkylaryl group, an arylalkyl group, an alkylsulfinyl group, an alkoxyalkyl group, an alkylsulfonyl group, an aryl group, an arylthio group, an arylsulfinyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an arylsulfonyl group, carboxy, halo or cyano, or a 3- to 7-membered heterocyclic ring having carbon, nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen atoms,
• R' is an alkylene group of 1 to 10 carbon atoms,
• R.sup.2 is the same or different at each occurrence and is an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkoxy group, a cycloalkyl group, a cycloalkenyl group, an alkanoyl group, an alkylthio group, an aryloxy group, an alkylthioalkyl group, an alkylaryl group, an arylalkyl group, an alkylsulfinyl group, an alkoxyalkyl group, an alkylsulfonyl group, an aryl group, an arylthio group, an arylsulfinyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an arylsulfonyl group, carboxy, halo, oxo or cyano, or R.sup.2 is a divalent aliphatic group bonded to different, non-adjacent carbon atoms of the central ring to form an aromatic or alicyclic ring fused to the central ring of structure III or IV, and having carbon, nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen atoms or a sulfinyl group,
• p is an integer of from 1 to 5,
• q is an integer of from 0 to 4, provided that the sum of m and n is 5, and
• t is 0 or 1.

An imaging element comprising a support having:

• one or more imaging layers, and
• on the same, opposite or both sides of said support, an electrically conductive layer formed from application of an electrically conductive coating composition, said electrically conductive layer being present on said support in each instance at a dry coverage of at least 150 mg/m.sup.2,
• said electrically conductive coating composition comprising a solution of:
• a) a complex of a polymeric polyaniline and a protonic acid that has a counter-ion that imparts conductivity to said composition,
• said complex being dissolved in a first solvent that has a Hansen polar solubility parameter of from 13 to about 17 MPa.sup.1/2, and a Hansen hydrogen bonding solubility parameter of from about 5 to about 14 MPa.sup.1/2, and
• b) a film-forming binder dissolved in a second solvent, wherein said first and second solvents are the same or different,
• provided that the total solids in said composition is less than or equal to about 10 weight % of the total composition, and the weight ratio of said binder to said complex is at least about 2:1.