ELECTROSYNTHESIS AND STUDY OF PHENYLENE CARBAZOLYLENE COPOLYMERS

Phenylene-carbazolylene copolymers with variable composition and properties were prepared by electrocatalyzed dehalogenative polycondensation of 4,4'-dihalobiphenyl and N-alkyl-3,6-dibromocarbazole mixtures in the presence of a zero valent nickel catalyst. The polymers are partly soluble in polar solvents and this solubility depends on the proportion of carbazolylene units in the materials. For a given composition, solubility increases with length of the aliphatic substituent linked to the nitrogen. The conductivity upon doping varies between those of the corresponding homopolymers and is a function of the length of the alkyl substituents. Thin films of these materials can be prepared either by solvent casting or by direct electrodeposition onto various supports. The electrochemical behavior is strongly dependent on the copolymer composition and reveals the existence of two distinct electronic states (two quantum wells): the first one is related to the presence of the carbazolylene units, while the second shows the presence of phenylene moieties.