SIZE DEPENDENCE OF RESPONSE-TIME OF VOLUME INSTABILITY IN CONDUCTING POLYMER GEL

The expansion time of poly(3-alkylthiophene) gel depends on its size. The time increases linearly with increasing thickness as well as side length. The expansion of poly(3-alkylthiophene) gel is interpreted by the diffusion of solvent molecule into gel as the first step and then the diffusion of gel network into solution. The solvent molecule diffusion and the gel network diffusion depend on the thickness and the side length, respectively. The gel network diffusion velocity is much higher than the solvent diffusion. The shrinkage time upon doping also increases linearly with increasing side length.