The chemical oxidation of aniline with ammonium persulfate (APS) in an aqueous acidic solution to form polyaniline (PANI) films has been studied using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique. The kinetics of the film formation was investigated. The reaction exhibited half-order with respect to APS and first-order to aniline. The effect of temperature on the growth rate of PANI films was studied. The activation energy is 39.79 kJ/mol. This is in agreement with the corresponding one determined for the chemical polymerization of PANI in the bulk. The UV-visible spectra of the PANI films grown onto a glass support immersed into the bulk solution were measured. The absorption of the PANI film with time was also studied and compared to the growth of the PANI film thickness using the QCM technique. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.