A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Effect of Oxidants on Properties of Electroactive Ultrathin Polyazulene Films Synthesized by Vapor Phase Polymerization at Atmospheric Pressure




AuthorsYewale Rahul, Damlin Pia, Kvarnström Carita

PublisherAmer Chemical Soc

Publication year2022

JournalLangmuir

Journal name in sourceLANGMUIR

Journal acronymLANGMUIR

Volume38

Issue49

First page 15165

Last page15177

Number of pages13

ISSN0743-7463

eISSN1520-5827

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02215

Web address https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02215

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/177782641


Abstract

A non-benzenoid aromatic hydrocarbon azulene, naturally found in plants and mushrooms, is known for its derivatives applications in medicines. However, the processability of its chemically synthesized high-capacitance polymer is constrained by the sparingly soluble nature of its polymeric form. Oxidative chemical synthesis on a desirable substrate overcomes this difficulty. In this report, polyazulene (PAz) thin films are synthesized by vapor phase polymerization at atmospheric pressure using oxidants, such as CuCl2, CuBr2, FeCl3, and FeTOS. The effect of oxidants on morphologies of PAz films is studied using atomic force microscopy and microscope imaging. Each oxidant produced distinct microstructures in the films. The films synthesized using Cu(II) salts showed organized and knitted structures, whereas Fe(III) salts formed casted sheet-like disordered arrangements. The films synthesized using CuCl2 created uniform porous film assemblies. The pre-peak formations and their splitting observed in the cyclic voltammograms revealed phase segregations in the films. Oxidant-dependent structural and chemical differences such as charge carrier formation, doping levels, and polymer chain length in the PAz films are studied by using UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy. The results indicated that 240 and 180 mM are the optimum concentration of CuCl2 to produce high capacitance and well-organized single-and triple-layered PAz films, respectively.


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Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 13:49