Self-doped conducting polymers mechanical properties

Other 3-substituted thiophenes that have been polymerized include 3-methoxy [309-311], other 3-alkoxy [312], 3-phenyl [313,314], 3-(4-methoxyphenyl) [314], 3-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl) [314], 3-bromo [315], 3-alkylsulfonatethiophene [316-318], and others [319-323]. Poly-3-alkylsulfonate thiophenes are particularly interesting due to a striking property. Sodium poly-3-thiophene-j8-ethanesulfonate and sodium poly-3-thiophene-6-butanesulfonate and their conjugate acids are water soluble in both the doped and undoped states [317,318]. Ikenoue et al. [318] examined the conduction mechanism for this self-doped conducting polymer. 

The mechanism for the SPAN layer changing the emission properties of the PPy VPV polymer is attributed to the formation of new emissive species due to protonation of the pyridyl units by SPAN. These species was identified by both absorption and PL experiments. Figure 9.15 shows the absorbance spectra of a PPy VPV layer, a SPAN layer, and a bilayer of PPy VPV/SPAN. SPAN is a self-doped, water-soluble conducting polymer with a room-temperature conductivity of 10-2 S/cm.18 It has a wide optical window from green to near infrared PPy VPV... 

As discussed by Han et al [76], protonic acids are not suitable dopants for PTs or P3ATs, although the optical and mechanical properties of P3ATs, mixed with protonic acids, to some extent resemble those of doped PTs. The reason is the protonation of the thiophene rings, which prevents the conduction of the electric current, in analogy with the case of the self-doped polymers. 

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