Monday, 14 May 2018: 11:20
Room 616 (Washington State Convention Center)
Recently, post-functionalization has attracted attention as a useful strategy to obtain functional polymers. We have already reported the anodic chlorination of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in the presence of chloride ions under a constant potential condition, and found that introduction of a chlorine atom to the 4-position of the thiophene rings could tune the optoelectronic properties of P3HT. However, the current efficiency of this reaction was low because of the competitive oxidation between P3HT and the chloride ions used as a chlorine source.1
In this study, we improved the current efficiency of the anodic chlorination of P3HT by using boron trifluoride-diethyl ether complex (BFEE). BFEE is well-known to decrease oxidation potentials of aromatic compounds due to the π-complex formation between BF3 and aromatic rings.2 BFEE used as a solvent and an electrolyte in voltammetric studies successfully decreased the oxidation potential of P3HT, and increased the oxidation potential of chloride ions. These interesting effects of BFEE also worked in the macroscale electrolysis of P3HT, giving higher current efficiency compared to the conventional methods.
References
- S. Hayashi, S. Inagi, K. Hosaka, T. Fuchigami, Synth. Met., 2009, 159, 1792.
- S. Jin, G. Xue, Macromolecules, 1997, 30, 5753.