PROCESSIBLE POLY(N-ALKYL DIARYLAMINE) CONDUCTING POLYMERS - SYNTHESIS AND SPECTROELECTROCHEMISTRY

Chemical oxidation of N-alkyl diphenylamines N-alkylDPA and N-alkyl phenyl naphthylamines N-alkylPNA (alkyl = methyl, ethyl, butyl and hexyl) using copper tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile solution produced high molecular weight poly(N-alkyl diarylamines) polymers - a new class of conducting polymers intermediated between poly(aniline) and poly(p-phenylene) or poly(p-naphthalene) - which are soluble in organic solvents (e.g. dimethyl formamide, dimethyl sulfoxide and N-methyl pyrrolidinone). The assynthesized poly(N-alkyl diarylamines) with doping levels lower than 25% exhibited room temperature conductivities in the range of 10(-5) to 10(-7) S/cm. Uniform and adherent polymer films, which were casted on ITO glass from dimethylformamide solutions, showed multiple color changes when cycled in 1.0 M LiClO4/acetonitrile solution between 0.0 and 1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl.