Conducting Polymers Derived from Novel Electron Rich Condensed Heterocycles

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This award, made in the Special Projects Office of the Chemistry Division and the Polymers Program in the Division of Materials Research continues support for the research of Professors Reynolds and Katritzky at the University of Florida. The goal of the research is to design, synthesize and characterize electron-rich conducting polymers prepared from substituted condensed heterocycles including indolocarbazoles, bis(thieno)-benzenes, bis(pyrrolo)naphthalenes and bisindoles. These selected monomers lend themselves to facile electropolymerization. The planarity induced within the repeat unit and the low redox switching potentials will make the polymers quite stable when oxidatively doped and highly conducting. Pendant substituents will be incorporated onto the polymers to control polymer physical properties. Alkyl substitution will facilitate solubility and processibility. Polar substituents will be incorporated to enhance polymer interactions with electrolyte and ion-transport during redox switching. Alkyl sulfonate substitution will be used to induce water solubility and will lead to a new family of self-doped conducting polymers. Electropolymerized polymers formed on conducting surfaces can be easily switched between redox states resulting in highly controllable physical and electonic properties such as conductivity, ion content, volume and color. These materials are likely to find application in electrochromic devices, ion release electrodes, biosensors and transducers. The design, synthesis and characterization of new structures will advance the fundamental understanding of structure-property relationships in conducting polymers.