Structure and electrical properties of chemically modified poly(3-alkylthiophenes)

The aim of this work was to determine the effects of substituting the thiophene aromatic hydrogen atom in the 4-position in poly(3-alkylthiophene) (P3AT) by a nitro group (-NO2), or by a chlorine atom (-Cl) in a highly dispersed state of polymer. The feature of such substituted polymers is lower conductivity in comparison with the initial polymer. Modified P3ATs remain semiconducting in character. The nitration and chlorination of P3ATs take place mainly in the 4-position of the thiophene ring. The rates of both processes increase with an increase in the chain length of the alkyl side group.