A series of derivatized bis(pyrrol-2-yl) arylenes,
specifically 1,4-bis(pyrrol-2-yl)benzene
(1e,
BPB), 1,4-bis(pyrrol-2-yl)-2,5-dimethoxybenzene (2e,
BPB(OCH3)2),
1,4-bis(pyrrol-2-yl)-2,5-diethoxybenzene
(3e, BPB(OC2H5)2),
1,4-bis(pyrrol-2-yl)-2,5-didodecyloxybenzene (4e,
BPB(OC12H25)2),
2,6-bis(pyrrol-2-yl)naphthalene (5e, BPN), and
4,4‘-bis(pyrrol-2-yl)biphenyl (6e, BPBP) have been
synthesized. Cyclic
voltammetry shows these monomers to oxidize at relatively low
potentials to form cation radicals. The
lowest peak monomer oxidation potential of +0.15 V vs
Ag/Ag+ is observed for 2e, lower than that
reported
for any other pyrrole-based monomer. Electrochemical
polymerization from a 0.01 M monomer, 0.1 M
tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP), and acetonitrile solution was
carried out using multiple
scanning cyclic voltammetry to yield polymers having
E
1/2 values ranging from −0.1 to +0.1 V.
These
low oxidation potentials cause the polymers to be quite stable in the
electrically conducting form. The
electronic band gaps for these polymers (measured as the onset of the
π−π* transition) occurs between
2.3 and 2.4 eV. Upon electrochemical doping, the intensity of the
π−π* transition decreases while
bipolaron bands appear at lower energy. The intensity of these
bands increases upon increasing the
anodic potential. The redox doping process was found to be
reversible upon electrochemical reduction of
the films. The unsubstituted polymer
poly[1,4-bis(pyrrol-2-yl)benzene], doped with
perchlorate, was found
to exhibit an average conductivity of 1 S/cm. When the dopant was
the anion of bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, the conductivity increased to 30 S/cm. These
polymers are stable to thousands of double-potential steps before 50% loss of electroactivity occurs.