We have studied electrochemical matrix polymerization of aniline in the presence of poly(amidosulfonic acid)s of different nature: poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanosulfonic acid) (PAMPSA, flexible backbone); poly (p,p'-(2,2'-disulfoacid)-diphenylene-iso-phthalamid) (i-PASA, semi-rigid backbone); poly(p,p'-(2,2'-disulfoacid)-diphelylene-tore-phthalamid) (t-PASA, rigid backbone). Also, we have investigated spectral and electrochemical properties of the films obtained, as well as their surface morphology. The matrix polymerization results in the formation of interpolymer complexes of polyaniline (PANT) and the above-cited polyacids. The acceleration of aniline electropolymerization in the presence of poly(amidosulfonic acid)s was observed due to association of aniline molecules to sulfonic groups of the polyacid and higher local concentration of protons near the polyacid backbone. The rigid-chain polyacids interfere with the normal course of the electropolymerization, which manifests itself in the changes of the shape of time dependences of absorbance and charge. Cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemical experiments showed that the formation of interpolymer complex with rigid-chain polyacids distorts spectroelectrochemical characteristics of PANI. This evidently results from steric hindrances in the formation of quinoid units. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.