Mechanistic Diagnosis for Redox Switching of Electroactive Films

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Stanley Bruckenstein, professor of chemistry at SUNY-Buffalo, is supported by this renewal grant from the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program for theoretical and experimental studies of electroactive polymer thin-films. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) experiments and dynamic impedance measurements will be used in conjunction with theoretical considerations based on a scheme of cubes which will yield the rates of the elementary kinetic steps that occur during a redox switching process in the polymer films. The approach will permit the identification and separation of processes involving counterion transfer, co-ion transfer, neutral species transfer and polymer configuration changes. Polyvinylferrocene is included among the redox polymers to be studied and polypyrrole is among the conducting polymers to be used. The investigations will produce structure-function correlations within and among various classes of polymers. Such relationships permit rational design of polymers for specific purposes. A fundamental understanding of the nature and processes occuring in electroactive polymers continues to be a major objective of studies on these materials because of their importance in technological areas such as batteries and membranes. This research provides a theoretical framework upon which to design experiments to examine these processes. From the experiments, information is obtained which will allow technological development of polymers for well-defined purposes.