Document Type

Theses, Ph.D

Rights

This item is available under a Creative Commons License for non-commercial use only

Disciplines

1.4 CHEMICAL SCIENCES

Publication Details

Sucessfully submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dublin Institute of Technology in 2001

Abstract

Primarily it was endeavoured to synthesise conducting polymers bearing a modified isoindole backbone with potentially enhanced electrical, optical and physical properties. The addition of electron donating methoxy groups on to the N-methylisoindole system results in alternations to the resultant polymer’s optical and physical properties. The synthesis of the new compounds 5-methoxy-N-methylisoindole and 5, 6-dimethoxy-N-methylisoindole was carried out via a devised route. Characterisation of the two new monomers 5-methoxy-N-methylisoindole and 5,6-dimethoxy-N-methylisoindole and the parent N-methylisoindole and their corresponding polymers has also been carried out initially by cyclic voltammetry studies. The oxidation of the monomers and corresponding polymers occurs at decreasing positive potentials with the addition of the methoxy groups. Variation in the dopant anion incorporated into the polymer has also lead to alteration of the polymer properties. The novel poly-5, 6 dimethoxy-N-methylisoindole appears to be potentially a soluble organics conductor with rather interesting electrical properties. Subsequent characterisation of these materials to obtain an insight to their mechanistic properties was carried out. Along with cyclic voltammetry, the nucleation process occurring during polymerisation was studied with current vs time transients. Also cation exchange studies have been carried out. Finally in situ spectroelectrochemical properties of polymers are studied and analysed using the Nernst equation. The band gap of the neutral poly-5-methoxy-N-methylisoindole and poly-5, 6-dimethoxy-N-methylisoindole was determined to be ~2.36 eV and ~2.38 eV respectively.


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