Yoshiaki Ikenoue

Evaluation of electrochromic fast-switching behavior of self-doped conducting polymer

Abstract The electrochemical and optical fast-switching behavior of a self-doped conducting polymer was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and opto-electrochemical spectroscopy. In comparison with poly(3-hexylthiophene), the self-doped polymer thin film exhibited a reasonable electrochemical response in an acid electrolyte solution, even at fast scan rates. The optical switching phenomenon on the self-doped polymer was observed to take place within about 50 ms, in contrast to polyisothianaphthene which exhibits optical switching within about 500 ms.

A facile preparation of a self-doped conducting polymer

A self-doped conducting polymer having alkanesulphonic acid groups on polythiophene has been directly synthesized from sodium 3-(3-thienyl)propanesulphonate 3 by chemical polymerization with FeCl3 in an aqueous medium; the resulting acid form of this polymer after work-up shows highly self-doped behaviour both in water and as a solid film and has a high molecular weight distribution.