Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol.145, No.8, 2648-2654, 1998
Electro-oxidative polymerization and spectroscopic characterization of novel amide polymers using diphenylamine coupling
We have electropolymerized 1,1'-bis[[p-phenylamino(phenyl)]amido-]ferrocene from CH3CN, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and CH2Cl2 to form an alternating main chain polymer of diphenylbenzidine and ferrocene. As a comparison, we have electropolymerized 1,4 bis[[p-phenylamino(phenyl)]amido-]benzene which lacks the electrochemical response of the ferrocene group. In nonaqueous solvents, the diphenylbenzidine group shows two reversible 1e(-) oxidations. The second le oxidation of the diphenylbenzidine overlaps with the 1e(-) oxidation of the ferrocene group at 0.88 V vs. Ag/AgCl in CH2Cl2. The electrochemistry of the polymer film in aqueous acid shows two 1e(-) waves consistent with oxidation of the diphenylbenzidine group to the cation and then the dication. The spectroelectrochemistry of both polymer films show broad, low-energy near-IR bands in aprotic solvents such as CH2Cl2, THF, and CH3CN and aqueous solutions with pH < 3. We assign these bands to intermolecular pi stacking of the protonated diphenylbenzidinium cations. The electrochemistry of both materials is chemically reversible and forms the basis for electrochromic and redox applications.
Keywords:QUARTZ CRYSTAL MICROBALANCE;SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS;ENZYME ELECTRODE;THIN-FILMS;FERROCENE;GOLD;ION;POLY(VINYLFERROCENE);POLYCONDENSATION;POLYANILINE