Preparation and characterization of polyacrylate functionalized polythiophene films

¹ Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai 201418, P. R. China
² Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Guangdong Institute of Eco-environmental Science & Technology, Guangzhou 510650, P. R. China
³ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550009, P. R. China
⁴ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China

^* Corresponding author : yhfei@gzu.edu.cn, & e-mail: mfhou@sit.edu.cn

Abstract

This paper is based on the effect of precursors’ structure on the resultant electropolymers’ electrochemical and optical and thermal properties. The polyacrylate functionalized thiophene with a narrow polydispersity index (PDI) was synthesized by means of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and then the free-standing and conducting conjugated polyacrylate functionalized polythiophene (R-PTE-PAA) film was prepared through electropolymerization in CH2Cl2 with 50% BFEE (boron trifluoride diethyl etherate). For comparison, the polyacrylate functionalized polythiophene (PTE-PAA) was also prepared with the precursor of a broad PDI from conventional free radical polymerization. The prepared polymers were characterized by UV-vis, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence spectrophotometry. The R-PTE-PAA film showed the excellent electrochemical behavior, good blue-light property and high thermal stability. Compared with PTE-PAA, the R-PTE-PAA film presented the better electrochemical reversibility and stability. The results obtained in the present study indicate that the R-PTE-PAA film would be important for applications in electrochromics, supercapacitors and electrochemical sensors.