In situ formation of molecular-scale ordered polyaniline films by zinc coordination

Synthesis and Conductivity Studies of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) by Co-Polymerization and Blending with Polyaniline (PANi)

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a lightweight insulating polymer that possesses good mechanical stability. On the other hand, polyaniline (PANi) is one of the most favorable conducting materials to be used, as it is easily synthesized, cost-effective, and has good conductivity. However, most organic solvents have restricted potential applications due to poor mechanical properties and dispersibility. Compared to PANi, PMMA has more outstanding physical and chemical properties, such as good dimensional stability and better molecular interactions between the monomers. To date, many research studies have focused on incorporating PANi into PMMA. In this review, the properties and suitability of PANi as a conducting material are briefly reviewed. The major parts of this paper reviewed different approaches to incorporating PANi into PMMA, as well as evaluating the modifications to improve its conductivity. Finally, the polymerization condition to prepare PMMA/PANi copolymer to improve its conductivity is also discussed.

Two-dimensional nano-layered materials as multi-responsive chemosensors constructed by carbazole- and fluorene-based polyaniline-like derivatives

The development of multi-responsive chemosensors has a bright application prospect in environmental monitoring and biological diagnosis. In this paper, we report two kinds of fluorescent polyaniline-like derivatives containing of carbazole or fluorene moieties with two-dimensional (2D) nano-layered structure and their applications in the detection of Al³⁺, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺ and HCl in different environments. Through the analysis of the structure and properties of these two 2D materials, we find that the prepared (Poly(9,9'-(9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-diyl)bis(9H-carbazol-3-amine))) PDFCA material performs excellent sensing properties for above analytes. Relevant density functional theory (DFT) calculation further confirms the potential application of 2D nano-layered PDFCA material in sensing field. This study presents that 2D nano-layered PDFCA material is considerably competitive in the development of multi-responsive chemosensors, and it will greatly accelerate the research of 2D polymer materials.

Preparation of a polymer nanocomposite via the polymerization of pyrrole : biphenyldisulfonic acid : pyrrole as a two-monomer-connected precursor on MoS2 for electrochemical energy storage

We prepared a poly(pyrrole : biphenyldisulfonic acid : pyrrole (Py:BPDSA:Py)) nanocomposite of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), P(Py:BPDSA:Py)-MoS₂, with high crystallinity. The composite is synthesized by oxidative polymerization of Py:BPDSA:Py as a two-monomer-connected precursor (TMCP) linked by ionic bonding on a molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) monolayer. The chemical, structural and morphological characterization of this composite is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystal structure is analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-voltage electron microscopy (HVEM), which shows a face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure for the composite. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms show an improved specific surface area (91.3 m² g^-1). The electrochemical properties of the composite with a unique crystal structure and a large specific surface area are analysed through cyclic voltammetry (CV), which shows a specific capacitance of 681 F g^-1 demonstrating that the composite can be used as an efficient electrode active material for electrochemical energy storage systems.

Highly ordered supramolecular structure built from poly(4-(4-vinylphenylpyridine)) and 1,1′-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid via hydrogen bonding

A molecular-level ordered supramolecular nanostructure is formed of P4VPPy and FDA, using a solvent vapor thermal annealing process that initiates hydrogen bonding directed self-assembly.

Engineering crystalline quasi-two-dimensional polyaniline thin film with enhanced electrical and chemiresistive sensing performances

Engineering conducting polymer thin films with morphological homogeneity and long-range molecular ordering is intriguing to achieve high-performance organic electronics. Polyaniline (PANI) has attracted considerable interest due to its appealing electrical conductivity and diverse chemistry. However, the synthesis of large-area PANI thin film and the control of its crystallinity and thickness remain challenging because of the complex intermolecular interactions of aniline oligomers. Here we report a facile route combining air-water interface and surfactant monolayer as templates to synthesize crystalline quasi-two-dimensional (q2D) PANI with lateral size ~50 cm2 and tunable thickness (2.6-30 nm). The achieved q2D PANI exhibits anisotropic charge transport and a lateral conductivity up to 160 S cm-1 doped by hydrogen chloride (HCl). Moreover, the q2D PANI displays superior chemiresistive sensing toward ammonia (30 ppb), and volatile organic compounds (10 ppm). Our work highlights the q2D PANI as promising electroactive materials for thin-film organic electronics.

Hydrogen Bonding as a Supramolecular Tool for Robust OFET Devices

In the present study, we demonstrated the effect of hydrogen bonding in the semiconducting behaviour of a small molecule used in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). For this study, the highly soluble dumbbell-shaped molecule, Boc-TATDPP based on a Boc-protected thiophene-diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) and triazatruxene (TAT) moieties was used. The two Boc groups of the molecule were removed by annealing at 200 °C, which created a strong hydrogen-bonded network of NH-TATDPP supported by additional π-π stacking. These were characterised by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV/Vis and IR spectroscopy, XRD and high-resolution (HR)-TEM measurements. FETs were fabricated with the semiconducting channel made of Boc-TATDPP and NH-TATDPP separately. It is worth mentioning that the Boc-TATDPP film can be cast from solution and then annealed to get the other systems with NH-TATDPP. More importantly, NH-TATDPP showed significantly higher hole mobilities compared to Boc-TATDPP. Interestingly, the high hole mobility in the case of NH-TATDPP was unaffected upon blending with [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁ BM). Thus, this robust hydrogen-bonded supramolecular network is likely to be useful in designing efficient and stable organic optoelectronic devices.

Molecular ordering of A(D–A′–D)2-based organic semiconductors through hydrogen bonding after simple cleavage of tert-butyloxycarbonyl protecting groups

Molecular ordering of organic semiconductors comprising a newly designed A(D–A′–D)₂ system was achieved through hydrogen bonding after removal of tert-butyloxycarbonyl substituents.