Influence of spacer in the formation of nanorings by templateless electropolymerization

In this original work, we want to control the shape of the resulting porous structures by templateless electropolymerization, by adjusting the spacer (flexible alkyl chains or rigid aromatic groups) between thieno3,4-b]thiophene and carbazole used as the monomer and the substituent, respectively. A huge change is especially observed from ribbon-like structures to nanorings as the alkyl spacer increases. The presence of a significant amount of water is necessary for the formation of these porous structures because it allows releasing a high amount of gas bubbles. The size and number of nanorings are dependent on both the alkyl spacer and electrochemical parameters such as the number of deposition scans. These surfaces could be used in the future in various potential applications such as in water harvesting, oil/water separation membranes, optical devices, sensors or photocatalysis.