Electrical transport properties of an organic semiconductor on polyaniline doped by boric acid

The electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power, and dielectric properties of polyaniline doped by boric acid (PANI‐B) have been investigated. The room temperature electrical conductivity of PANI‐B was found to be 1.02 × 10^?4 S cm^?1. The thermoelectric power factor for the polymer was found to be 0.64 µW m^?1 K^?2. The optical band gap of the PANI‐B was determined by optical absorption method, and the PANI‐B has a direct optical band gap of 3.71 eV. The alternating charge transport mechanism of the polymer is based on the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model. The imaginary part of the dielectric modulus for the PANI‐B suggests a temperature dependent dielectric relaxation mechanism. Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power results indicate that the PANI‐B is an organic semiconductor with thermally activated conduction mechanism. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conductive and optical properties of PPV modified by N+ ion implantation

In this article, a soluble poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(3′‐methyl)butoxy]‐p‐phenylene vinylene (MMB‐PPV) was synthesized by dehydrochlorination reaction and the MMB‐PPV film was implanted by nitrogen ions (N⁺) with the ion dose and energy in the range of 3.8 × 10¹⁵ to 9.6 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm² and 15–35 keV, respectively. The surface conductivity, optical absorption, optical band gap (E_g) of modified MMB‐PPV film were studied, and the third‐order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾) as well as its environmental stability of modified MMB‐PPV film were also measured by degenerate four‐wave mixing system. The results showed that the surface conductivity of MMB‐PPV film was up to 3.2 × 10^?2 S when ion implantation was performed with the energy of 35 keV at an ion dose of 9.6 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm², which was seven order of magnitude higher than that of the pristine film. UV‐Vis absorption spectra demonstrated that the optical absorption of MMB‐PPV film was enhanced gradually in the visible region followed by a red shift of optical absorption threshold and the E_g value was reduced from 2.12 eV to 1.59 eV with the increase of ion dose and energy. The maximum χ⁽³⁾ value of 2.45 × 10^?8 esu for modified MMB‐PPV film was obtained with the ion energy of 20 keV at an ion dose of 3.8 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm², which was almost 33 times larger than that for pristine film. In comparison to the reduction of 17% in the χ⁽³⁾ value of pristine MMB‐PPV film, the maximum χ⁽³⁾ value of 2.45 × 10^?8 esu for modified MMB‐PPV film decreased by over 5.3% when they had been exposed under the same ambient conditions for 90 days. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 2072–2077, 2010     

Electro‐optical properties of electropolymerized poly(3‐hexylthiophene)/carbon nanotube composite thin films

3‐hexylthiophene was electropolymerized on a carbon nanotube (CNT)‐laden fluorine‐doped tin oxide substrate. Scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the polymer was infused throughout the thickness of the 150‐nm thick CNT mat, resulting in a conducting composite film with a dense CNT network. The electropolymerized poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (e‐P3HT)/CNT composites exhibited photoluminescence intensity quenching by as much as 92% compared to the neat e‐P3HT, which provided evidence of charge transfer from the polymer phase to the CNT phase. Through‐film impedance and J‐V measurements of the composites gave a conductivity (σ) of 1.2 × 10^?10 S cm^?1 and zero‐field mobility (μ₀) of 8.5 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1, both of which were higher than those of neat e‐P3HT films (σ = 9.9 × 10^?12 S cm^?1, μ₀ = 3 × 10^?5 cm² V^?1 s^?1). In electropolymerized samples, the thiophene rings were oriented in the (010) direction (thiophene rings parallel to substrate), which resulted in a broader optical absorbance than for spin coated samples, however, the lack of long‐range conjugation caused a blueshift in the absorbance maximum from 523 nm for unannealed regioregular P3HT (rr‐P3HT) to 470 nm for e‐P3HT. Raman spectroscopy revealed that π‐π stacking in e‐P3HT was comparable to that in rr‐P3HT and significantly higher than in regiorandom P3HT (ran‐P3HT) as shown by the principal Raman peak shift from 1444 to 1446 cm^?1 for e‐P3HT and rr‐P3HT to 1473 cm^?1 for ran‐P3HT. This work demonstrates that these polymer/CNT composites may have interesting properties for electro‐optical applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1269–1275, 2011     

Synthesis and Characterization of Polyvinylferrocene/Polypyrrole Composites

Conducting polymer composites of polyvinylferrocene and polypyrrole (PVF/PPy) were synthesized chemically by the in situ polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of PVF using FeCl₃ as oxidant. Acetic (CH₃COOH) and boric (H₃BO₃) acids were used as the synthesis medium. Effects of the synthesis medium on the properties of the PVF/PPy composite were investigated. The PVF/PPy composites and homopolymers were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and magnetic susceptibility techniques. Conductivity measurements were performed using the four‐probe technique. We found that the conductivities of PVF/PPy‐H₃BO₃ (1.19 S cm^?1) and PVF/PPy‐CH₃COOH (4.5×10^?1 S cm^?1) increased relative to those of the homopolymers of PPy‐H₃BO₃ (2.1×10^?2 S cm^?1) and PPy‐CH₃COOH (1.2×10^?2 S cm^?1) due to the interaction of PVF with the pyrrole moiety. The stability of all homopolymers and composites were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and by conductivity measurements during heating‐cooling cycles. There was a small drop in conductivity caused by the annealing of PVF/PPy composites at 70°C. The conductivity of all samples increased with temperature and exhibited stable electrical behavior with increasing temperature. TGA analysis of samples showed that the composites were more stable than the homopolymers or PVF separately. The magnetic susceptibility values of samples were negative, except for PVF/PPy‐H₃BO₃. Morphology changes of the composites investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attributed to synthesis conditions, have a significant effect on their conductivity.     

High Compression‐Induced Conductivity in a Layered Cu–Br Perovskite

We show that the onset pressure for appreciable conductivity in layered copper‐halide perovskites can decrease by ca. 50 GPa upon replacement of Cl with Br. Layered Cu–Cl perovskites require pressures >50 GPa to show a conductivity of 10^?4 S cm^?1, whereas here a Cu–Br congener, (EA)₂CuBr₄ (EA=ethylammonium), exhibits conductivity as high as 2×10^?3 S cm^?1 at only 2.6 GPa, and 0.17 S cm^?1 at 59 GPa. Substitution of higher‐energy Br 4p for Cl 3p orbitals lowers the charge‐transfer band gap of the perovskite by 0.9 eV. This 1.7 eV band gap decreases to 0.3 eV at 65 GPa. High‐pressure X‐ray diffraction, optical absorption, and transport measurements, and density functional theory calculations allow us to track compression‐induced structural and electronic changes. The notable enhancement of the Br perovskite's electronic response to pressure may be attributed to more diffuse Br valence orbitals relative to Cl orbitals. This work brings the compression‐induced conductivity of Cu‐halide perovskites to more technologically accessible pressures.     

Low bandgap π‐conjugated copolymers based on fused thiophenes and benzothiadiazole: Synthesis and structure‐property relationship study

A series of low bandgap conjugated polymers consisting of benzothiadiazole alternating with dithienothiophene (DTT) or dithienopyrrole (DTP) unit with or without 3‐alkylthiophene bridge have been synthesized. Effect of the fused rings and 3‐alkylthiophene bridge on the thermal, optical, electrochemical, charge transport, and photovoltaic properties of these polymers have been investigated. These polymers show broad absorption extending from 300 to 1000 nm with optical bandgaps as low as 1.2 eV; the details of which can be varied either by incorporating 3‐alkylthiophene bridge or by replacing DTT with DTP. The LUMO levels (?2.9 to ?3.3 eV) are essentially unaffected by the specific choice of donor moiety, whereas the HOMO levels (?4.6 to ?5.6 eV) are more sensitive to the choice of donor. The DTT and DTP polymers with 3‐alkylthiophene bridge were found to exhibit hole mobilities of 8 × 10^?5 and 3 × 10^?2 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively, in top‐contact organic field‐effect transistors. Power conversion efficiencies in the range 0.17–0.43% were obtained under simulated AM 1.5, 100 mW cm^?2 irradiation for polymer solar cells using the DTT and DTP‐based polymers with 3‐alkylthiophene bridge as donor and fullerene derivatives as acceptor. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5498–5508, 2009     

Electrical conductivity,photoconductivity, and optical properties of poly(1,4‐diaminoanthraquinone) organic semiconductor for optoelectronic applications

The electrical conductivity and optical properties of the poly(1,4‐diaminoanthraquinone) [poly(1,4‐DAAQ)] have been investigated. The electrical conductivity of the polymer increases with temperature and room temperature conductivity was found to be 2.68 10^?5 S cm^?1. The optical band gap of the polymer is 1.87 eV due to the direct optical transitions. The photoconductivity of the polymer is higher than that of dark conductivity. When the light is switched on, the resistance decreases abruptly and when it is switched off, the resistance increases. This confirms that the polymer is a photoconductive material. The obtained results indicate that the poly(1,4‐DAAQ) is a photoconducting organic semiconductor with photovoltaic and dark current properties. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electro‐oxidation and Determination of Tripelennamine Hydrochloride at MWCNT‐CTAB Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

An electrochemical method for the determination of tripelennamine hydrochloride (TPA) using cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide‐multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode (MWCNT‐CTAB/GCE) was developed. Because of good electrical conductivity of MWCNT and catalytic behavior of CTAB, new electrode significantly enhances the sensitivity for the detection of TPA. Parameters such as amount of modifier suspension, scan rate, pH of measure solution, heterogeneous rate constant were investigated. The electrode exhibits a linear potential response in the range of 1.0×10^?8 M to 3.0×10^?6 M with a detection limit of 2.38× 10^?9 M. The modified electrode was successfully applied to the determination of TPA in pharmaceutical and real samples.     

Effect of Pulse Width of Square Potential to Remove Silver Interference in the Determination of Mercury(II)

A graphite electrode modified with silver (Ag‐CPE) has been applied to detect mercury(II) using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Under optimized conditions, the calibration curve is linear in the range from 5.0×10^?8 mol L^?1 to 1.0×10^?4 mol L^?1 of mercury(II). The detection limit was found to be 3.38×10^?8 mol L^?1 with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.25 % (n=8). The proposed method was successfully applied for the detection of mercury(II) in leachate samples. The Ag‐CP composites were characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), BET adsorption analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

Metal–Organic Frameworks Containing Missing‐Linker Defects Leading to High Hydroxide‐Ion Conductivity

The ionic conductivity properties of the face‐centered cubic [Ni₈(OH)₄(H₂O)₂(BDP_X)₆] (H₂BDP_X=1,4‐bis(pyrazol‐4‐yl)benzene‐4‐X with X=H ( 1 ), OH ( 2 ), NH₂ ( 3 )) metal–organic framework (MOF) systems as well as their post‐synthetically modified materials K[Ni₈(OH)₅(EtO)(BDP_X)_5.5] ( 1@KOH , 3@KOH ) and K₃[Ni₈(OH)₃(EtO)(BDP_O)₅] ( 2@KOH ), which contain missing‐linker defects, have been studied by variable temperature AC impedance spectroscopy. It should be noted that these modified materials exhibit up to four orders of magnitude increase in conductivity ^‐values in comparison to pristine 1 – 3 systems. As an example, the conductivity value of 5.86×10^?9 S cm^?1 (activation energy E_a of 0.60 eV) for 2 at 313 K and 22 % relative humidity (RH) increases up to 2.75×10^?5 S cm^?1 (E_a of 0.40 eV) for 2@KOH . Moreover, a further increase of conductivity values up to 1.16×10^?2 S cm^?1 and diminution of E_a down to 0.20 eV is achieved at 100 % RH for 2@KOH . The increased porosity, basicity and hydrophilicity of the 1@KOH – 3@KOH materials compared to the pristine 1 – 3 systems should explain the better performance of the KOH‐modified materials.     

Determination of L‐Vesamicol in Serum Samples Using Enantioselective,Potentiometric Membrane Electrodes Based on Antibiotics

Abstract

Enantioselective, potentiometric membrane electrodes (EPMEs) based on antibiotics are proposed for the enantioanalysis of L‐vesamicol. A carbon paste was modified with antibiotics (vancomycin, teicoplanin, and teicoplanin modified with acetonitrile), as chiral selectors. The EPMEs based on antibiotics were reliably used for enantiopurity tests of L‐vesamicol using the direct potentiometric technique. The following linear concentration ranges: 1.0×10^?6–1.0×10^?4, 1.0×10^?6–1×10^?3 and 1×10^?7?1×10^?2 mol/L; and detection limits: 1.1×10^?7, 9.6×10^?8, and 3.6×10^?8 mol/L were determine for vancomycin, teicoplanin, and teicoplanin modified with acetonitrile–based EPMEs, respectively. The proposed EPMEs were applied for the enantioanalysis of L‐vesamicol in urine samples.     

Novel Protonic Conductive Silicates Produced by the Sol-Gel Method

ABSTRACT

Materials which display ionic conductivity were produced by the sol-gel and microemulsion-gel methods. The charging and discharging characteristics were investigated and it was found that a single ionic species was responsible for the conduction, the ionic species being residual protons from the initial component mixture. The complex impedence of various samples was measured and the ionic conductivities ranged in value from 9 × 10^?8 to 1 × 10^?5 ohm^?1 cm^?1. An Arrhemius plot for a microemulsion-gel revealed that the energy of activation was 0.15 eV.     

The Electrical Conductivity of Graphite Nanoplatelet Filled Conjugated Polyacrylonitrile

The electrical conductivity of composites of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs), including bromine‐doped GNP, and conjugated polyacrylonitrile has been investigated. The focal point is the dual nature of the graphite nanoparticles, which exhibit both intrinsic electrical conductivity and doping capability of semi‐conductive polymers such as conjugated polyacrylonitrile to form charge‐transfer complexes. The conductivity is particularly enhanced in conjugated polyacrylonitrile composites (e.g., with 6 wt.‐% graphite nanoplatelets) where the value rises from 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 2 × 10⁻³ S · cm⁻¹, which reflects jointly the conductivity of the doped semi‐conductive polymer together with the percolation‐based conductivity of the particles.

     

Multi‐responses Methodology Applied in the Electroanalytical Determination of Hair Dye by Using Printed Carbon Electrode Modified with Graphene

This paper describes a rapid and sensitive method for determination of the hair dye Basic Blue 41 in wastewater samples using screen‐printed carbon electrodes modified with graphene (SPCE/Gr). The method is based on the reversible reduction of azo groups of the dye at potential of ?0.23 V/?0.26 V, where both the anodic and cathodic currents increased 1,300 % when compared to screen‐printed carbon (SPCE) and glassy carbon electrodes (GCE). The optimization of a square wave voltammetric method was performed by means of 2³ factorial design, Doehlert matrix and multi‐response assays, and the best parameters were: frequency (54.8 Hz), step potential (6 mV), pulse amplitude (43.7 mV) and pH 4.5. The analytical curve was constructed from 3.00×10^?8 to 2.01×10^?6 mol L^?1, with detection and quantification limits of 5.00×10^?9 and 1.70×10^?8 mol L^?1, respectively. The repeatability of the method evaluated for 10 consecutive measurements at concentrations of 1.70×10^?7 mol L^?1 and 1.70×10^?6 mol L^?1, showed relative standard deviation of 3.56 and 0.57 %, respectively. The sensor based in SPCE/Gr was successfully applied in wastewater samples collected from a drinking water treatment plant and validated by comparison with HPLC‐DAD method with good accuracy.     

Study of carbonaceous clusters in irradiated polycarbonate with UV–vis spectroscopy

The formation of carbonaceous clusters in ion‐irradiated polymer films was investigated extensively. Information about these clusters may be obtained with ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The optical band gap (E_g), calculated from the absorption edge of the UV spectra of these polymers, can be correlated to the number of carbon atoms (N) in a cluster with the modified Tauc equation. The structure of the cluster is also related to E_g; for example, a six‐membered‐benzene‐ring‐type structure has an E_g of ≈5.3 eV, whereas a buckminsterfullerene‐type structure has an E_g of ≈4.9 eV. These clusters are responsible for the electrical conductivity in these films. In this work, polycarbonate films (20 μm thick) were irradiated with 45‐MeV Li ions at fluences of 1 × 10¹² to 1 × 10¹³ cm⁻² and were characterized with UV–vis spectroscopy and impedance measurements. The E_g values, calculated from the absorption edge in the 280–315‐nm region with the Tauc relation, varied from 4.39 to 4.35 eV for the pristine and various irradiated samples, respectively. The cluster size showed a range of 60–62 carbon atoms per cluster. The sheet conductivity (σ_dc) and loss (tan δ) values of 10⁻¹⁶ Ω⁻¹cm⁻¹ and 10⁻³ for the pristine sample changed to 10⁻¹⁵ Ω⁻¹cm⁻¹ and 10⁻², respectively, for the irradiated samples. This increase in the values of σ_dc and tan δ may be correlated to the increase in the size of the carbonaceous clusters. This study provides insight into the mechanism of electrical conductivity in irradiated polymers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1589–1594, 2000     

Thermally Stable Super Ionic Conductor from Carbon Sphere Oxide

A highly stable proton conductor has been developed from carbon sphere oxide (CSO). Carbon sphere (CS) generated from sucrose was oxidized successfully to CSO using Hummers’ graphite oxidation technique. At room temperature and 90 % relative humidity, the proton conductivity of thin layer CSO on microsized comb electrode was found to be 8.7×10^?3 S cm^?1, which is higher than that for a similar graphene oxide (GO) sample (3.4×10^?3 S cm^?1). The activation energy (E_a) of 0.258 eV suggests that the proton is conducted through the Grotthuss mechanism. The carboxyl functional groups on the CSO surface are primarily responsible for transporting protons. In contrast to conventional carbon‐based proton conductors, in which the functional groups decompose around 80 °C, CSO has a stable morphology and functional groups with reproducible proton conductivity up to 400 °C. Even once annealed at different temperatures at high relative humidity, the proton conductivity of CSO remains almost unchanged, whereas significant change is seen with a similar GO sample. After annealing at 100 and 200 °C, the respective proton conductivity of CSO was almost the same, and was about ～50 % of the proton conductivity at room temperature. Carbon‐based solid electrolyte with such high thermal stability and reproducible proton conductivity is desired for practical applications. We expect that a CSO‐based proton conductor would be applicable for fuel cells and sensing devices operating under high temperatures.     

Syntheses,properties, and field‐effect transistors of small band gap quinoxaline‐ and thienopyrazine‐vinylene/ethynylene conjugated polymers

New conjugated copolymers of quinoxaline (AQ) and thienopyrazine (ATP) with vinylene (V) or ethynylene (E), poly[2,3‐bis(4‐(2‐ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)‐quinoxaline vinylene] (PAQV), poly[2,3‐bis(4‐(2‐ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)‐quinoxaline ethynylene)] (PAQE), poly[2,3‐bis(4‐(2‐ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)‐thieno[3,4‐b]pyrazine vinylene] (PATPV), and poly[2,3‐bis(4‐(2‐ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)‐thieno[3,4‐b]pyrazine ethynylene] (PATPE), were successfully synthesized by Stille coupling reaction. The optical band gaps of the PAQV, PAQE, PATPV, and PATPE were 1.86, 2.00, 0.88, and 0.90 eV, respectively, whereas the electrochemical band gaps were 1.99, 2.06, 1.00, and 1.06 eV, respectively. The reduced steric hindrance by the incorporation of the V or E linkage or the intramolecular charge transfer between the acceptor and the V or E linkage led to the small band gap. The AQ/ATP‐vinylene copolymers exhibited much higher vis/near infrared absorption intensity than the AQ/ATP‐ethynylene suggested the stronger π–π* transition intensity in the former and led to better charge‐transporting characteristics. The saturation field‐effect hole mobilities of the PATPV were 2.1 × 10^?3, 1.7 × 10^?2, and 1.1 × 10^?2 cm² V^?1 s^?1 on bare, octyltrichlorosilane (OTS)‐treated, and octadecyltrichlorosilane(ODTS)‐treated SiO₂, respectively, with on‐off current ratios of 35, 6.02 × 10², and 7.56 × 10². On the other hand, the estimated field‐effect transistor hole mobility of the PATPE was in the range of 1.7 × 10^?6–8.1 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1, which was significantly smaller than those of the PATPV. The small band gaps and high charge carrier mobility of the prepared copolymers suggested their potential applications for near‐infrared electronic and optoelectronic devices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 74–81, 2010     

Synthesis and properties of new dialkoxyphenylene quinoxaline‐based donor‐acceptor conjugated polymers and their applications on thin film transistors and solar cells

Synthesis, properties, and optoelectronic device applications of four new bis‐[4‐(2‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐phenyl]quinoxaline( Qx(EHP) )‐based donor‐acceptor conjugated copolymers are reported, in which the donors are thiophene( T ), dithiophene( DT ), dioctylfluorene( FO ), and didecyloxyphenylene( OC10 ). The optical band gaps (E_g) of PThQx(EHP) , PDTQ(EHP) , POC10DTQ(EHP) , and PFODTQ(EHP) estimated from the onset absorption are 1.57, 1.65, 1.77, and 1.92 eV, respectively. The smallest E_g of PThQx(EHP) among the four copolymers is attributed to the balanced donor/acceptor ratio and backbone coplanarity, leading to a strong intramolecular charge transfer. The hole mobilities obtained from the thin film transistor (TFT) devices of PThQx(EHP) , PDTQ(EHP) , POC10DTQ(EHP) , and PFODTQ(EHP) are 2.52 × 10^?4, 4.50 × 10^?3, 4.72 × 10^?5, and 9.31 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively, with the on‐off ratios of 2.00 × 10⁴, 1.89 × 10³, 4.07 × 10³, and 2.30 × 10⁴. Polymer solar cell based on the polymer blends of PFODTQ(EHP) , PThQx(EHP) , POC10DTQ(EHP) , and PDTQ(EHP) with [6, 6]‐phenyl C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) under illumination of AM1.5 (100 mW cm^?2) solar simulator exhibit power conversion efficiencies of 1.75, 0.92, 0.79, and 0.43%, respectively. The donor/acceptor strength, molecular weight, miscibility, and energy level lead to the difference on the TFT or solar cell characteristics. The present study suggests that the prepared bis[4‐(2‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐phenyl]quinoxaline donor‐acceptor conjugated copolymers would have promising applications on electronic device applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 973–985, 2009     

Benzodifuran‐containing well‐defined π‐conjugated polymers for photovoltaic cells

Two well‐defined alternating π‐conjugated polymers containing a soluble electroactive benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]difuran (BDF) chromophore, poly(BDF‐(9‐phenylcarbazole)) (PBDFC), and poly(BDF‐benzothiadiazole) (PBDFBTD) were synthesized via Sonogashira copolymerizations. Their optical, electrochemical, and field‐effect charge transport properties were characterized and compared with those of the corresponding homopolymer PBDF and random copolymers of the same overall composition. All these polymers cover broad optical absorption ranges from 250 to 750 nm with narrow optical band gaps of 1.78–2.35 eV. Both PBDF and PBDFBTD show ambipolar redox properties with HOMO levels of ?5.38 and ?5.09 eV, respectively. The field‐effect mobility of holes varies from 2.9 × 10^?8 cm² V^?1 s^?1 in PBDF to 1.0 × 10^?5 cm² V^?1 s^?1 in PBDFBTD. Bulk heterojunction solar cell devices were fabricated using the polymers as the electron donor and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester as the electron acceptor, leading to power conversion efficiencies of 0.24–0.57% under air mass 1.5 illumination (100 mW cm^?2). These results indicate that their band gaps, molecular electronic energy levels, charge mobilities, and molecular weights are readily tuned by copolymerizing the BDF core with different π‐conjugated units. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Gas phase thermal diffusivities by a thermal lens technique

A simplified design of thermal lens apparatus is presented in which a chopped cw argon laser beam produces a transient thermal lens in a cylindrical gas cell. The axial intensity variation of a cw helium-neon laser probing this lens is analysed to yield the thermal diffusivities and thus the thermal conductivity coefficients of Kr, CO₂, CH₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₈, C₃H₆ and C₄H₁₀ as 9.4 × 10^?3 ± 4%, 1.6 × 10^?2 ± 3%, 2.98 × 10^?2 ± 4%, 2.03 × 10^?2 ± 4%, 2.05 × 10^?2 ± 7%, 1.6 × 10^?2 ± 8% and 1.9 × 10^?2 ± 8% respectively in W m^?1 K^?1 at 300 K. The method is rapid, requiring only that the sample be transparent at both laser frequencies used. A simplified mathematical analysis is shown to be adequate for this system. For the conditions specified, self-lensing of the argon laser beam is shown to be compensated by using an effective laser beam diameter.