• Banasz, Radosław
• Kubicki, Maciej
• Wałęsa-Chorab, Monika
• Patroniak, Violetta

Abstract

Dipyrromethane functionalized monomers 1–4 have been synthesized and characterized using spectroscopic methods and X-ray diffraction analysis (monomer 4 and dialdehydes 5 and 6). Monomers exhibit irreversible electrochemical oxidation but during multiple oxidation cycles electropolymerization of monomers on the electrode surface occurs. Electrochemical polymerization of monomers were carried out in acetonitrile solution using tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF₆) as a supporting electrolyte. It was found that faster electropolymerization occurs when monomer contains more than one dipyrromethane unit and obtained polymers have better stability. The morphology of polymer films on ITO electrodes was analyzed by SEM and AFM techniques. It was found that polymers obtained by electropolymerization method are homogenous and uniform with low roughness, RMS value: 105 Å and 153 Å for poly-1 and poly-2 respectively. Obtained thin films of polymers poly-1 and poly-2 exhibit interesting optical properties dependent on the core of monomer and were used as active layers for the construction of electrochromic devices. The colors of oxidized states of electrochromic polymers can be easily modified by the change of electroactive cores in monomers.</p>

Topics

• surface
• polymer
• scanning electron microscopy
• x-ray diffraction
• thin film
• atomic force microscopy