Synthesis,Structural Characterization,and Electrochemical Properties of Isotruxene–Polyaniline Hybrid Systems

The synthesis, structural characterization, and electrochemical properties of a series of isotruxene–polyaniline (PANI ) hybrid systems (SITPs , SITAs , and CITs ) are reported. The syntheses were performed by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of isotruxene additives ITP and/or ITA at specific aniline‐to‐additive molar ratios. The polymers SITPs and SITAs display granular morphology, but for the polymers CITs a spherical morphology with a diameter of 300–500 nm is found. These hybrid systems display electrochemical capacitive performance superior to those of the parent PANI prepared under the same condition (e.g., 385–463 vs. 181 F/g at 3 mA /cm² current density during charge–discharge test). Molecular (star‐shaped or hyperbranched vs. linear topology) and supramolecular (isotruxene–PANI π–π and cation–π interactions) models in accounting for the observed morphology and electrochemical properties are provided.     

Studies on Synthesis and Effect of Dopants on Conductivity and Morphology of Organically Soluble Poly(o-anisidine)

Synthesis of poly(o-anisidine) doped with various protonic acids by using ammonium persulphate as oxidizing agent were carried out in aqueous acid media. Influences of protonic acids on the physicochemical properties were investigated. The various process parameters were optimized to obtain poly(o-anisidine) in the conducting salt phase form. The results are discussed with references to different protonic acids. It was observed that poly(o-anisidine) is highly soluble in organic solvents, such as m-cresol and N-methyl pyrrolidinone (NMP). The polymers were characterized by UV-Visible, FTIR, SEM, XRD and conductivity measurements. A result shows that, different types of dopant acids HCl, H₂SO₄ and HClO₄ affect the morphology and electrical conductivity of the polymer. The electrical conductivity of the polymer follows the order HCl >H₂SO₄>HClO₄. Thus the effect of dopant ion type and the size of its negative ions influence the physico-chemical properties. UV-Vis absorption spectra shows peaks at 740–783 nm with shoulder at 380–420 nm as characteristic peaks for the emeraldine salt (ES) phase of poly(o-anisidine) POA. The FTIR spectra show a broad and intense band at ～2800–3001 cm^?1 and ～1159–1170 cm^?1 that account for the formation of ES phase of the polymer. The X-ray diffraction spectra show a characteristic peak at 20–30^o, 2θ range which reveals partial crystalline structure. The conductivity of the poly(o-anisidne) salt was found to be in the range of 10^?3 to 10^?2 S/cm. SEM studies of poly(o-anisidine) doped with HCl shows the continuous granular uniform morphology with sub-micrometer evenly distributed particles of size ～100–200 nm.     

Electrochemical Interrogation and Sensor Applications of Nanostructured Polypyrroles

The polymerization of pyrrole in β‐naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA) gave nanotubules, nanomicelles or nanosheets of polypyrrole (PPy) depending on the amount of NSA in the polymer and the temperature of the reaction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements showed that the diameters of the nanostructured polypyrrole‐β‐naphthalene sulfonic acid (PPyNSA) composites were 150–3000 nm for the tubules, 100–150 nm for the micelles and 20 nm for the sheets. A red shift in the UV‐vis absorption spectra of PPy was observed for PPyNSA which indicates the involvement of bulky β‐naphthalene sulfonate ion in the polymerization process. The UV‐vis also showed the existence of polaron and bi‐polaron in the polymer which may be responsible for the improved solubility of PPyNSA compared to PPy. All the characteristic IR bands of polypyrrole were observed in the FTIR spectra of PPyNSA, with slight variation in the absolute values. However, the absence of N? H stretching at 3400 cm^?1 and 1450 cm^?1 usually associated with neutral polypyrrole confirms that the polymer is not in the aromatic state but in the excited polaron and bipolaron defect state. Electrochemical analysis of PPyNSA reveals two redox couples: a/a′ – partly oxidized polypyrrole‐naphthalene sulfonate radical cation/neutral polypyrrole naphthalene sulfonate; b/b′ – fully oxidized naphthalene sulfonate radical cation/partly reduced polypyrrole‐naphthalene sulfonate radical anion. The corresponding formal potentials measured at 5 mV/s, E°′_{(5 mV/s)}, are 181 mV and 291 mV, respectively. Amperometric phenol sensor constructed with PPyNSA on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) gave a sensitivity of 3.1 mA M^?1 and a dynamic linear range of 0.65–139.5 μM. The data for the determination of phenol on the GCE/PPyNSA electrode was consistent with the electrocatalytic Michaelis‐Menten model, giving an apparent Michaelis‐Menten constant (K_M′) value of 160 μM.     

Electrooxidation and Amperometric Detection of Ascorbic Acid at GC Electrode Modified by Electropolymerization of N,N‐Dimethylaniline

The polymer film of N,N‐dimethylaniline (DMA) is deposited on the electrochemically pretreated glassy carbon (GC) electrode by continuous electrooxidation of the monomer. This poly N,N‐dimethylaniline (PDMA) film‐coated electrode can be used as an amperometric sensor of ascorbic acid (AA). The polymer film (thickness (?): 0.3±0.02 μm) having positive charge in its backbone attracts the anionic species AA. Thus, the anodic peak potential (350 mV vs. Ag|AgCl|NaCl_(sat)) for the oxidation of AA at the bare electrode is largely shifted to the negative value (150 mV) at this electrode. The PDMA film‐coated electrode is stable in acidic, alkaline and neutral media and can sense AA at different pH's. The diffusion coefficients of AA in solution (D) and in film (D_s) were estimated by rotating disk electrode voltammetry: D=(5.5±0.1)×10^?6 cm² s^?1 and D_s=(6.3±0.2)×10^?8, (6.0±0.2)×10^?8 and (4.7±0.2)×10^?8 cm² s^?1 for 0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 mM AA, respectively. A permeability of AA through the PDMA film was found to decrease with increasing the concentration of AA in the solution. In the chronoamperometry, the current response for the oxidation of AA at different times elapsed after potential‐step application is linearly increased with the increase in AA concentration in a wide range of its concentration from 25 μM to 1.65 mM. In the hydrodynamic amperometry, a successive addition of 10 μM AA caused the successive increase in current response with equal amplitude and the sensitivity was calculated as 0.178 μA cm^?2 μM^?1. So, the fouling of the electrode surface caused by the oxidized product of AA is markedly eliminated at this PDMA film‐coated electrode. A flow injection analysis based on the present electrode was performed to estimate the concentration of vitamin C in fruit juice.     

Preparation and characterization of PVC/PANI conductive composite with extremely low percolation threshold

Aniline was polymerized in the presence of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) powders in hydrochloric acid to in situ prepare poly(vinyl chloride)/polyaniline (PVC/PANI) composite particles. UV‐vis spectra and FT‐IR spectra indicate PANI in PVC/PANI composite particles possessed a higher oxidation state with decreased aniline content in reactants. Both conductivity and impact strength of the dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) doped PANI composites (PVC/PANI‐DBSA), which were compression molded from the in situ prepared PVC/PANI particles, increase with the pressing temperature and decrease with the increase of DBSA doped PANI (PANI‐DBSA) loading. An excellent electric conductivity of 5.06 × 10^?2 S/cm and impact strength of 0.518 KJ/m² could be achieved for the in situ synthesized and subsequently compression molded composite. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Employing Label‐free Electrochemical Biosensor Based on 3D‐Reduced Graphene Oxide and Polyaniline Nanofibers for Ultrasensitive Detection of Breast Cancer BRCA1 Biomarker

A label‐free DNA biosensor based on three‐dimensional reduced graphene oxide (3D‐rGO) and polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was successfully developed for supersensitive detection of breast cancer BRCA1. The results demonstrated that 3D‐rGO and PANI nanofibers had synergic effects for reducing the charge transfer resistance (R_ct), meaning a huge enhancement in electrochemical activity of 3D‐rGO‐PANI/GCE. Probe DNA could be immobilized on 3D‐rGO‐PANI/GCE for special and sensitive recognition of target DNA (1.0×10^?15–1.0×10^?7 M) with a theoretical LOD of 3.01×10^?16 M (3S/m). Furthermore, this proposed nano‐biosensor could directly detect BRCA1 in real blood samples.     

Synthesis and characterization of polyaniline–polyamidoamine dendrimer blends

A novel conductive blend of polyaniline (PANI) with polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM (G 2.0)) was prepared by different blending procedure. The PANI‐PAMAM blended polymers were characterized by UV–vis, FTIR, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. The effect of varying the blending procedure on structure and EPR properties of PANI‐PAMAM blended polymers was investigated. Varying the blending procedure and temperature has a direct effect on the structure and EPR parameters (ΔH_PP, g factor, N_S, T₂, and A/B ratio). EPR spectroscopic studies suggested the presence of chemical interaction between PANI and PAMAM. Electron localization effects in PANI‐PAMAM blended polymers can therefore be studied using the technique of EPR. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1–8, 2006     

RECTIFYING EFFECT OF POLYANILINE(PANI)/N-TYPE POROUS SILICONE HETEROJUNCTION*

Heterojunctions between polyaniline (PANI) and n-type porous silicon (PS), Al/PS-PANI/Au cell,were fabricated, and the rectifying parameters of this heterojunction diode were measured as a function of thepreparation conditions of PANI and PS, the electronic structure of PANI as well as cell structure. Therectifying parameters of Al/PS-PANI/Au cell were determined to be γ= 1 .8×10~1～ 1 .0×10~5 for the rectifyingratio at 3V, n = 3 ～12 for the ideal factor,j_0 = 8.0×10~(-5)～5.6×10~(-2) mA/cm~2 for the reversed saturated currentdensity, and φ_b = 0.67～ 0.83 V for the barrier height, respectively. The best rectifying heterojunction diodemade between PANI and n-type PS with higher rectifying factor (γ= 1 .0×10~5 at 3V ), output current (>1500mA/cm~2 at 3V) and lower ideal factor (n = 3.3) was obtained by preventing the oxidation of PS beforeevaporating Al electrode.     

Preparation,morphology and electrical conductivity of polyaniline/polyoxyalkylene–montmorillonite exfoliated nanocomposites

Polyaniline (PANI)/organoclay exfoliated nanocomposites containing different organoclay contents (14–50 wt%) were prepared. PANI emeraldine base (EB) and oligomeric PANI (o‐PANI) were intercalated into montmorillonite (MMT) modified by four types of polyoxyalkylene diamine or triamine (organoclay) using N‐methyl pyrolidinone (NMP) as a solvent in the presence of 0.1 M HCl. o‐PANI and EB have been synthesized by oxidative polymerization of aniline using ammonium peroxydisulfate (APS). Infrared absorption spectra (IR) confirm the electrostatic interaction between negatively charged surface of MMT and positively charged sites in PANI. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) studies disclosed that the d₀₀₁ spacing between interlamellar surface disappeared at low content of the organoclay. The morphology of these materials was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrical conductivities of the PANI‐organoclay and o‐PANI‐organoclay nanocomposites were 1.5 × 10^?3–2 × 10^?4 and 9.5 × 10^?7–1.8 × 10^?9 S/cm, respectively depending on the ratio of PANI. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polyaniline-coated cellulose fibers decorated with silver nanoparticles

Cellulose fibers of 20 μm in diameter and aspect ratio of 2 or 10 were coated with protonated polyaniline (PANI) during the oxidation of aniline hydrochloride with ammonium peroxydisulfate in an aqueous medium. The presence of PANI has been proved by FTIR spectroscopy. The conductivity increased from 4.0 × 10⁻¹⁴ S cm⁻¹ to 0.41 S cm⁻¹ after coating the fibers with PANI. The percolation threshold in the mixture of original uncoated and PANI-coated fibers was reduced from 10 mass % PANI to 6 mass % PANI, as the aspect ratio changed from 2 to 10. The subsequent reaction with silver nitrate results in the decoration of PANI-coated cellulose fibers with silver nanoparticles of about 50 nm average size. The content of silver of up to 10.6 mass % was determined as a residue in thermogravimetric analysis. FTIR spectra suggest that the protonated emeraldine coating changed to the pernigraniline form during the latter process and, consequently, the conductivity of the composite was reduced to 4.1 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, despite the presence of silver.     

Effects of Supporting Electrolytes on Spectroelectrochemical and Electrochromic Properties of Polyaniline‐poly(styrene sulfonic acid) and Poly(ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly(styrene sulfonic acid)‐based Electrochromic Device

Electrochromic devices are fabricated by using polyaniline (PANI) doped with poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PSS) as coloring electrodes, poly(ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT‐PSS) as complementary electrodes, and hybrid polymer electrolytes as gel electrolytes. The device based on LiClO₄‐based electrolyte (weight ratio of PMMA:PC:LiClO₄ = 0.7:1.1:0.3) shows the highest optical contrast and coloration efficiency (333 cm²/C) after 1200 cycles in these devices, and the color changes from pale yellow (?0.5 V) to dark blue (+2.5 V). The spectroelectrochemical and electrochromic switching properties of electrochromic devices are investigated, the maximum optical contrast (ΔT%) of electrochromic device for ITO|PANI‐PSS‖PMMA‐PC‐LiClO₄‐SiO₂‖PEDOT‐PSS|ITO are 31.5% at 640 nm, and electrochromic device based on LiClO₄‐based electrolyte with SiO₂ shows faster response time than that based on LiClO₄‐based electrolyte without SiO₂.     

Simultaneous synthesis of silver nanoparticles and poly(2,5‐dimethoxyaniline) in poly(styrene sulfonic acid)

Silver nanoparticles were formed in situ along with poly(2,5‐dimethoxyaniline) (PDMA) in an interconnected network matrix (reactor), comprising the electronic conductive polymer, PDMA, and a polyelectrolyte, poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PSS), through the simultaneous reduction of Ag⁺ ions and polymerization of 2,5‐dimethoxyaniline. In situ ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy showed that peaks corresponding to the plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles at 411 nm and the polaronic transition of PDMA at 438 nm provided evidences for the simultaneous formation of silver nanoparticles and PDMA. Transmission electron microscopy and size distribution analysis revealed the presence of spherical silver nanoparticles with an average diameter of 12 nm in the composite. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the amine units in PDMA changed to imine units upon the formation of silver nanoparticles. A comprehensive mechanism for the formation of the PDMA‐PSS‐Ag nanocomposite is proposed. A 10‐fold increase in the conductivity was noticed for the PDMA–PSS–Ag nanocomposite (1 S/cm) in comparison with the PDMA–PSS composite (0.1 S/cm). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3843–3852, 2006     

Synthesis and properties of phenothiazylene vinylene‐based polymers: New organic semiconductors for field‐effect transistors and solar cells

A series of new phenothiazylene vinylene‐based semiconducting polymers, poly[3,7‐(4′‐dodecyloxyphenyl)phenothiazylene vinylene] ( P1 ), poly[3,7‐(4′‐dodecyloxyphenyl)phenothiazylene vinylene‐alt‐1,4‐phenylene vinylene] ( P2 ), and poly[3,7‐(4′‐dodecyloxyphenyl)phenothiazylene vinylene‐alt‐2,5‐thienylene vinylene] ( P3 ), have been synthesized via a Horner‐Emmons reaction. FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopies confirmed that the configurations of the vinylene groups in the polymers were all‐trans (E). The weight‐averaged molecular weights (M_w) of P1 , P2 , and P3 were found to be 27,000, 22,000, and 29,000, with polydispersity indices of 1.91, 2.05, and 2.25, respectively. The thermograms for P1 , P2 , and P3 each contained only a broad glass transition, at 129, 167, and 155 °C, respectively, without the observation of melting features. UV–visible absorption spectra of the polymers showed two strong absorption bands in the ranges 315–370 nm and 450–500 nm, which arose from absorptions of the phenothiazine segments and the conjugated main chains. Solution‐processed field‐effect transistors fabricated from these polymers showed p‐type organic thin‐film transistor characteristics. The field‐effect mobilities of P1 , P2 , and P3 were measured to be 1.0 × 10^?4, 3.6 × 10^?5, and 1.0 × 10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively, and the on/off ratios were in the order of 10² for P1 and P2 , and 10³ for P3 . Atomic force microscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis of thin films of the polymers show that they have amorphous structures. A photovoltaic device in which a P3 /PC₇₁BM (1/5) blend film was used as the active layer exhibited an open‐circuit voltage (V_OC) of 0.42 V, a short circuit current (J_SC) of 5.17 mA cm^?2, a fill factor of 0.35, and a power conversion efficiency of 0.76% under AM 1.5 G (100 mW cm^?2) illumination. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 635–646, 2010     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(1,4‐bis((E)‐2‐(3‐dodecylthiophen‐2‐yl)vinyl)benzene) derivatives

New amorphous semiconducting copolymers, poly(9,9‐dialkylfluorene)‐alt‐(3‐dodecylthienyl‐divinylbenzene‐3‐dodecylthienyl) derivatives (PEFTVB and POFTVB), were designed, synthesized, and characterized. The structure of copolymers was confirmed by H NMR, IR, and elemental analysis. The copolymers showed very good solubility in organic solvents and high thermal stability with high T_g of 178–185 °C. The weight average molecular weight was found to be 107,900 with polydispersity of 3.14 for PEFTVB and 76,700 with that of 3.31 for POFTVB. UV–vis absorption studies showed the maximum absorption at 428 nm (in solution) and 435 nm (in film) for PEFTVB and at 430 nm (in solution) and 436 nm (in film) for POFTVB. Photoluminescence studies showed the emission at 498 nm (in solution) and 557 nm (in film) for PEFTVB and at 498 nm (in solution) and 536 nm (in film) for POFTVB. The solution‐processed thin‐film transistors showed the carrier mobility of 2 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1 for PEFTVB‐based devices and 2 × 10^?5 cm² V^?1 s^?1 for POFTVB‐based devices. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3942–3949, 2010     

Poly(thienylene‐vinylene‐thienylene) with cyano substituent: Synthesis and application in field‐effect transistor and polymer solar cell

A novel conjugated polymer, poly(thienylene‐vinylene‐thienylene) with cyano substituent ( CN‐PTVT ) was synthesized via Stille coupling for the application in air stable field‐effect transistor and polymer solar cell. The polymer was characterized by ¹H NMR, elemental analysis, UV‐vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy, TGA, cyclic voltammetry and XRD analysis. CN‐PTVT exhibits a good thermal stability with 5% weight loss at 306 °C. The FET hole mobility of the polymer reached 5.9 × 10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1 with I_on/I_off ratio of 4.9 × 10⁴, which is one of the highest performance among the air‐stable amorphous polymers. The polymer solar cell based on CN‐PTVT as donor and PCBM as acceptor shows a relatively high open‐circuit voltage of 0.82 V and a power conversion efficiency of 0.3% under the illumination of AM1.5, 100 mW/cm². © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4028–4036, 2009     

Two main chain polymeric metal complexes as dye sensitizers for dye‐sensitized solar cells based on the coordination of the ligand containing 8‐hydroxyquinoline and phenylethyl or fluorene units with Eu(III)

Two novel main chain polymeric metal complexes containing 8‐hydroxyquinoline europium complexes and phenylethyl or fluorene units: 1,4‐Dioctyloxy‐2,5‐bis[2‐(8‐hydroxyquinoline)‐vinyl]‐benzene Eu(III) (3) and 2,7‐bis[2‐(8‐hydroxyquinoline)‐vinyl]‐9,9′‐diocthylfluorene Eu(III) (4) with donor–acceptor‐π‐conjugated structure (D‐π‐A) have been synthesized and investigated as dye sensitizers for dye‐sensitized solar cells dyes (DSSCs). They have been determined and studied by FT‐IR, TGA, DSC, GPC, Elemental analysis, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and application in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as dye sensitizers. On the basis of optimized dye and molecular structure, they have shown solar‐to‐electricity conversion efficiency 2.25% for 3 (J_sc = 4.77 mA cm^?2, V_oc = 630 mV, FF = 0.75) and 3.04% for 4 (J_sc = 6.33 mA cm^?2, V_oc = 640 mV, FF = 0.75), under the illumination of AM1.5G, 100 mW/cm². The IPCE of 3 and 4 are 30% and 46% at 400 nm, respectively. Besides, they showed good stabilities with thermal decomposition temperatures at 280 °C and 225 °C, respectively, which are suitable for DSSCs. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1943–1951, 2010     

Effect of polyaniline (PANI) on Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexaflouro propylene) (PVDF-co-HFP) polymer electrolyte membrane prepared by breath figure method

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexaflouro propylene) is a well-known material for polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) due to its low cost, high mechanical integrity and excellent chemical resistance; however, its pure form has limited characteristics that require further modification to achieve optimum results. Therefore, the different dosages of polyaniline (PANI) (10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt%, 40 wt% and 50 wt%) were incorporated into PVDF-HFP blend to fabricate PVDF-HFP/PANI polymer electrolyte membrane by using breath-figure method. The FTIR peaks of PVDF-HFP and PVDF-HFP/PANI membrane confirms the successful incorporation of PANI into PVDF-HFP blend, while TGA, DSC and XRD analysis shows the PANI effect on stability and ionic conductivity of PVDF-HFP membrane. The PVDF-HFP/PANI membrane with 30 wt% PANI found superior with the highest porosity of 83%, electrolyte uptake of 270% and ionic conductivity of 1.96 mS cm⁻¹; however, the other concentrations of PANI were also effective and enhanced the performance of PVDF-HFP membrane. This shows the improved performances of PVDF-HFP membrane were attributed to successful incorporation of PANI and the proposed membrane can be a suitable alternative PEM or a separator for energy devices.     

Solid‐Contact Potentiometric Sensor Based on Polyaniline and Unsubstituted Pillar[5]Arene

A novel potentiometric sensor based on screen‐printed carbon electrode covered with electropolymerized polyaniline (PANI) and unsubstituted pillar[5]arene as ionophore has been developed and tested in potentiometric measurements of pH and metal ions. The introduction of pillar[5]arene improved the reversibility of the pH response in the range from 2.0 to 9.0 with the slope of 45 mV/pH. Among metal cations, the response to Fe³⁺ and Ag⁺ ions was referred to PANI redox conversion whereas the signal toward Cu²⁺ in the range from 1.0×10^?6 to 1.0×10^?2 M (limit of detection (LOD) 3.0×10^?7 M) to specific interaction with the macrocycle.     

Studies on the conducting nanocomposite prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline monomers in a neat (aqueous) synthetic mica clay

The in situ polymerization of the anilinium‐intercalated synthetic mica clay can easily result in an intercalated polyaniline (PANI)/clay nanocomposite. The FT‐IR spectra demonstrated a significant shift for ν_{(C? N)} at 1292 cm^?1 of the templated polymerized and intercalated PANI molecules. A red shift of λ_max for PANI was found from UV–vis spectra. The intercalated PANI also expanded the clay basal spacing seen from WAXD patterns. The degradation rate and temperature of the nanocomposites were found to alleviate and increase compared to neat PANI, respectively. The microscopic examinations including TEM, SEM, and AFM pictures of the nanocomposite demonstrated an entirely different and more compatible morphology. Conductivity of nanocomposite gradually increased with PANI and apparent increase was found when intercalated PANI content reached 40.6 wt %, the possible percolation threshold. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1800–1809, 2008     

Design and synthesis of 9,9‐dioctyl‐9H‐fluorene based electrochromic polymers

Two novel heterocycle‐fluorene‐heterocycle monomers, 2,2′‐(9,9‐dioctyl‐9H‐fluorene‐2,7‐diyl)dithiophene (Th‐F‐Th) and 5,5′‐(9,9‐dioctyl‐9H‐fluorene‐2,7‐diyl)bis(2,3‐dihydrothieno[3,4‐b][1,4]dioxine) (EDOT‐F‐EDOT), were synthesized via Stille coupling reaction and electropolymerized to form corresponding polymers P(Th‐F‐Th) and P(EDOT‐F‐EDOT). Furthermore, the optoelectronic properties of the obtained monomers and polymers were explored using cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV–vis, and emission spectra and in situ spectroelectrochemical techniques. The band gap values of monomers calculated by DFT were 3.75 eV for EDOT‐F‐EDOT and 4.03 eV for Th‐F‐Th, while that of P(EDOT‐F‐EDOT) and P(Th‐F‐Th) were brought down to 1.70 and 2.10 eV, respectively. Both polymers exhibited excellent redox activity and electrochromic performance. P(EDOT‐F‐EDOT) exhibited a maximum optical contrast of 25.8% at 500 nm in visible region with a response time of 1.2 s. In addition, the coloration efficiency of P(EDOT‐F‐EDOT) was calculated to be 220 cm² C^?1. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 325–334