Thin films of water dispersible poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)
functionalized poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline) (BBL) polymers have
been prepared by a pulse spray technique on a spinning substrate in
ambient atmosphere. The deposition method is advantageous for generating
ultra-thin films of nanometer thicknesses. A single spray pulse was
found in a reproducible manner to generate a layer of ca. 2 nm
thickness. The PEO-chain length in the BBL functionalization had an
essential influence on the building mechanism of the films. The polymers
functionalized by short PEO chains induced the formation of very smooth
films while longer PEO chains induced rough films and notable
nanostructuration. The BBL-PEO film deposited using spray pulse
deposition was found to be electro- and photoactive. The electron
transfer processes observed are slightly different from earlier reported
results for similar polymers, which is probably due to the very thin
film. The films exhibited photocurrent generation when transformed into
conducting form.