Effect of temperature on the structure of poly (3-decylthiophene)

The results of the structure investigations of poly (3 -alkylthiophenes) (PATs ) are briefly reviewed. The importance of the side chain order on the experimental diffractograms of PATs is discussed and the model of the relation between the conformation of a polymer and its diffraction pattern is presented. Thermochromism in PATs is related to the conformational changes, as implied from the photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and from the quantum chemical calculations. Our investigations have shown that this phenomenon can be observed by X-ray diffraction. The temperature dependences of the diffractograms obtained for poly (3-decylthiophene) are consistent with the conformational model of thermochromism.