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Major influence of the alkyl chain length of poly(2,4‐dialkyl‐3,4‐propylenedioxythiophene) on the surface fibrous structures and hydrophobicity
Author(s) -
Mortier Claudio,
Darmanin Thierry,
Guittard Frederic
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
polymers for advanced technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1581
pISSN - 1042-7147
DOI - 10.1002/pat.3302
Subject(s) - alkyl , steric effects , monomer , materials science , polymerization , nanofiber , polymer chemistry , morphology (biology) , surface modification , chain (unit) , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , polymer , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , physics , astronomy , biology , genetics , engineering
We report the synthesis of 2,4‐dialkyl‐3,4‐propylenedioxythiophene monomers with various alkyl chain length ( n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and their use for the surface modification by electropolymerization. Surprisingly, there is a drastic decrease in surface hydrophobicity as the alkyl chain length between n = 2 and 3 increases. The decrease is due to a change in the surface morphology from nanofibers to relatively smooth. Indeed, the increase in the alkyl chain length in the 2‐ and 4‐positions induces very high steric hindrances during the polymerization. As a consequence, the oligomers formed in the first instances are smaller and as a consequence more soluble in solution, leading to smoother films. This work opens new strategies for the elaboration of highly hydrophobic poly(3,4‐propylenedioxythiophene) nanofibers for potential biological applications. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.