1. Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Nanostructured Conjugated Polymers in Aqueous Solution: Fundamental Effect of Oxidizing Species
- Author
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Samy Remita, Srabanti Ghosh, Youssef Lattach, and Cecilia Coletta
- Subjects
chemistry.chemical_classification ,Conductive polymer ,Aqueous solution ,Polymerization ,chemistry ,Radical ,Radiolysis ,Oxidizing agent ,Polymer ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Conjugated system ,Photochemistry ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics - Abstract
Synthesis of conjugated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) polymers is achieved through the radiolysis of N2O-saturated aqueous solutions of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene by using two different oxidizing species: HO(·) (hydroxyl) and N3(·) (azide) radicals. Both oxidative species lead to self-assembled polymers that are evidenced in solution by cryotransmission electron microscopy and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy and, after centrifugation and deposition, by scanning electron microscopy and attenuated total reflectance FTIR techniques. Whereas HO(·) radicals lead to PEDOT-OH globular nanostructures with hydrophilic properties, N3(·) radicals enable the formation of amphiphilic PEDOT-N3 fibrillar nanostructures. These results, which highlight the differences in the intermolecular interaction behaviors of the two kinds of PEDOT polymers, are discussed in terms of polymerization mechanisms.
- Published
- 2013
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