Electrochemical behavior and conductivity measurements of electropolymerized selenophene-based copolymers

Abstract

Electrochemical copolymerization of selenophene and thiophene was performed at a constant electrode potential. The obtained homopolymer films and copolymers were studied and characterized with cyclic voltammetry and conductivity measurements, from which conductivity values around 13.35 S·cm-1 were determined. The influence of the applied electropolymerization potential and the monomer feed ratio of selenophene and thiophene on the copolymers properties was investigated. The obtained copolymers showed good stability of the redox activity in an acetonitrile-based electrolyte solution. At higher polymerization potentials and at higher concentrations of thiophene in the feed, more thiophene units were incorporated into the copolymer chain. The conductivities of the copolymers were between those of homopolymers, implying that oxidation of both monomers was possible and the copolymer chains might accordingly be composed of both selenophene and thiophene units.