Well-defined electrochemical switching of amphiphilic glycolated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)??

Journal of Materials Chemistry C Pub Date: 2022-11-09 DOI: 10.1039/D2TC01448C

Abstract

The approach of using polyether, aka glycol, side chains to afford amphiphilicity to conducting polymers has recently emerged as a powerful technique for next-generation materials for bioelectronics and electrochemical devices. Herein we apply this synthetic logic to the archetypical conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT, to generate a glycolated PEDOT analogue, G-PEDOT. We report on the electropolymerization of this material, and its electrochemical properties: including spectroelectrochemistry, electrochemical capacitance, and operation of microelectrodes and electrochemical transistors. While in many respects performing like PEDOT, G-PEDOT has electrochemical switching within lower potentials with complete de-doping at lower potentials, affording transistors with higher on/off ratios than PEDOT, and electrochromic switching within a smaller electrochemical window. Overall, G-PEDOT emerges as a useful, functional alternative to other PEDOT derivatives, and could be a building block in copolymers.

Graphical abstract: Well-defined electrochemical switching of amphiphilic glycolated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)
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