Polyene films prepared by poly(ethylene glycol)s-catalyzed dehydrochlorination of poly(vinyl chloride): chemical and electrochemical properties

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film containing certain amounts of poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEG) catalyst can be extensively dehydrochlorinated by aqueous potassium hydroxide. The molar mass of the PEG used as phase transfer catalyst is ranged from 200 to 800 g mol−1. According to the results of elemental analysis and UV–visible, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) and FT-Raman spectra, the polyene films obtained from these systems are polyacetylene-like and contain relatively long conjugated sequences. The highest conversion of the reaction at room temperature is measured to be about 90% (fH). The conductivity of iodine-doped polyene films can reach to the order of 10−2 S cm−1. The electrochemical doping process of dehydrochlorinated PVC film is controlled by diffusion mechanism like polyacetylene, and some irreversible degradation at the polyene surface occurs when the potential is rising above 1.6 V.