Distance Effects of Phenylpiperazine-Containing Methacrylic Polymers on Optical and Structural Properties

Abstract

New materials based on methacrylic polymers modified with 1-(4-nitrophenyl)piperazine side chains, differing in the distance of the chromophore from the polymer main chain and/or the separation between the chromophoric units in the chain, are obtained and characterized in terms of their potential applications in optoelectronic devices. The surface, structural, and optical properties of the investigated materials are determined using atomic force microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry combined with transmission measurements, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, as well as cyclic voltammetry. The relevant model systems are additionally analyzed with quantum chemical density functional theory calculations in order to enable the generalization of the structure–photophysical property relationships for the optimization of the material features. It is found that the structural modification of the material, relying on the transit of the piperazine moiety away from the main polymer chain, leads to the hypsochromic shift of the absorption spectrum. Moreover, the lowest refractive index values are obtained for the polymer with a distant ethylene group in the side-chains and increased separation between the piperazine units. It was shown that the optical energy band gaps of the investigated piperazine-containing polymers are in the range from 2.73 to 2.81 eV, which reveals their promising potential for the advances in photovoltaics, field effect transistors, or electrochromic devices as an alternative for other widely applied polymer materials.

Mg substitution in zinc selenide: Enhanced optoelectronic and thermoelectric performance

“…( κ e / τ ) max affected for the concentration 0.25 at room temperature, we consider that our results are in good agreement with the values found by B . Derkowska‐Zielinska et al [12] with a deviation of 10.15%. In the area of belonging to [−0.05, 0.05], ( κ e / τ ) is very weak which leads to a very high figure of merit ZT.…”

“…Thermal conductivity and the linear refractive index decrease with increasing concentration of Mg. The results thus found by these researchers play a crucial role in the optical and thermal response taking place in the material [12]. Mg 0.02 Zn 0.98 Se thin films are good candidates for possible applications as a buffer layer in solar cells because of their promising optoelectronic properties such as high transparency and conductivity which could replace toxic CdS layers [13].…”

Spectroscopic Studies of Styrylquinoline Copolymers with Different Substituents

“…Among all other polymers, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is the most widely used polymer for the creation of polymer hybrid materials due to sufficient hardness and colorlessness [ 20 ]. The low optical absorption of PMMA is one of the useful characteristics that should be allocated, as well as the high transmittance required to produce transparent gel electrolytes in electrochromic semiconductor devices [ 21 ]. Side chain methacrylic polymers with various active functional groups are widely used in many fields, such as optoelectronics, non-linear optics, and medicine.…”