Flowing Afterglow Synthesis of Polythiophene Films,
Abstract
Polymers of aromatic heterocycles such as thiophene and pyrrole have been actively investigated for their promising electrical and optical characteristics. However the use of these materials in waveguide structures has been constrained by morphological and synthetic barriers. Specifically, larger oligomers are less soluble causing multiphase chemical kinetics and irregular morphology in the metal-catalyzed coupling syntheses. Electrochemical preparation methods also produce grainy or fibrillar material, most probably because the heterogeneous boundary conditions on film growth change as insulating or semi-conducting material is deposited on the electrodes. We report here a synthetic approach to the polymeric heterocycle polythlophene using electronically excited argon metastables to activate organic precursors. This method is seen to produce dense, uniform films with desirable thiophene linkages and excellent optical properties.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 22, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADP007597
Entities
People
- James Targove
- Peter Haaland
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology