Issue 20, 2018, Issue in Progress

Electrochemical and optoelectronic properties of terthiophene- and bithiophene-based polybenzofulvene derivatives

Abstract

The electrochemical behavior of some polybenzofulvene derivatives bearing bithiophene (BT) or terthiophene (TT) side chains was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Very interestingly, the presence of unsubstituted terminal thiophene moieties allowed poly-6-BT-BF3k and poly-6-TT-BF3k to be cross-linked by electrochemical procedures. Conductive films were obtained by electrodeposition from solutions of these polymers onto electrode surfaces through the formation of covalent cross-linking due to dimerization (i.e. electrochemical oxidation) of the BT or TT side chains. The films showed electrochromic features and switched from yellow-orange (neutral) to green (positively charged) by switching the potential, and were stable to tenths of cycles, without degradation in the wet state in the electrolyte solution. Finally, the thin film obtained by electrodeposition of poly-6-TT-BF3k on a indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate showed in the neutral state a significantly red-shifted photoluminescence (PL) emission (∼40 nm red-shifted with respect to that of the corresponding film obtained by casting procedures), which was consistent with the presence of more conjugated moieties produced by the oxidative dimerization of the TT side chains. The innovative architecture and the easy preparation could lead to a broad range of applications in optoelectronics and bioelectronics for these cross-linked hybrid materials based on π-stacked polybenzofulvene backbones bearing oligothiophene side chains.

Graphical abstract: Electrochemical and optoelectronic properties of terthiophene- and bithiophene-based polybenzofulvene derivatives

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
11 Dec 2017
Accepted
28 Feb 2018
First published
19 Mar 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2018,8, 10836-10847

Electrochemical and optoelectronic properties of terthiophene- and bithiophene-based polybenzofulvene derivatives

F. Fabrizi de Biani, A. Reale, V. Razzano, M. Paolino, G. Giuliani, A. Donati, G. Giorgi, W. Mróz, D. Piovani, C. Botta and A. Cappelli, RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 10836 DOI: 10.1039/C7RA13242E

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