Novel nanophase hexagonal structured polyaniline (PANI) and poly(2,5-dimethoxyanilines) (PDMA) were synthesized by oxidative polymerization involving the respective anilines and a mixture of ferric chloride and ammonium persulfate. The morphological, spectral and electrochemical characteristics of the polymers were determined from the results of SEM, FTIR, UV-vis, TGA and cyclic voltammetry experiments. The hexagonal PANI and PDMA nanorods (15 -200 nm diameter) exhibited very good thermal stabilities, losing only 10% of their weight on heating to 400 8C. Electrochemical data indicated a pernigraniline state of the polymers with formal potential, E8', values of 394 AE 6 mV and 400 AE 1 mV, for PANI (conductance, C ¼ 0.37 Â 10 À3 S) and PDMA (conductance, C ¼ 2.02 Â 10 À3 S), respectively. The pernigraniline state was confirmed by sharp FTIR pernigraniline quinoidic peaks (PANI: 1414 cm À1 ; PDMA: 1157 cm
À1), and UV-vis absorption maxima at 340 -370 nm (PANI) and 450 -650 nm (PDMA) which are characteristic of charge transfer excitons of the quinoid structures of pernigraniline.