Synthesis and properties of novel fluorinated ester substituted polythiophenes

The electronic properties of the conjugated backbone of polythiophene can be tailored by the incorporation of perfluoroalkyl ester substituents. A polythiophene substituted with two different kinds of semifluoro and perfluoroalkyl esters were prepared by FeCl3 oxidative polymerization. Both polymers were found to be highly soluble in common organic solvents, such as CHCl3, THF and acetone. The influence of bulky fluoroalkyl substitutions on electrical conductivity, electronic absorption, fluorescence and surface properties of polymer films were investigated, and the properties were compared with poly(3-octylthiophene) synthesized under similar experimental conditions.