ABSTRACT
This paper reports on experiments intended for investigating the feasibility of preparing hybrid thermoreversible gels from covalent polymers and noncovalent self-assembling pi-conjugated molecules. The formation and the degree of dispersion of these hybrid gels have been studied with polystyrenes of various tacticities and oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) molecules (OPV) in different nonpolar organic solvents. Detailed investigations of the systems have been carried out by DSC, SAXS, and AFM. It is shown that no liquid-liquid phase separation is involved, indicating that the systems are highly compatible, and that the growth of one type of gel does not interfere with the other. These studies reveal that the resultant hybrid gels are composed of the intermingled fibrillar architectures of both gels.
ABSTRACT
The electrical properties of supermolecular assemblies of oligo(p-phenylene vinylene) were studied. These materials self-assemble into well-defined cylindrical structures in solution with lengths in the range of 100 nm-10 microm and diameters between 5 and 200 nm. Atomic force microscopy showed that by adjusting the concentration, either individual molecular wires or a dense film could be deposited. The molecular wires showed poor electrical conduction. Several tests were performed that show that it was the molecular wires themselves, not the contacts, that limit the conductivity.
ABSTRACT
[reaction: see text] Polycondensation of 2,5-dialkoxydivinylbenzene-bridged bispyrroles and squaric acid resulted in extensively conjugated polymers with strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption around 800-1000 nm, which is a signature of their low band gap (E(g)). Conjugated polymers with such a strong NIR absorption are rare. One of the synthesized polysquaraines showed a significantly low E(g) of 0.79 eV with an intrinsic conductivity of 5.3 x 10(-4) S/cm.
