Electrochemical determination of diffusion coefficient of π-conjugated polymers containing ferrocene unit

Abstract

The diffusion coefficient ( D) of π-conjugated polymers containing ferrocene unit in the polymer main chain in a 1:1 mixture of CH 2Cl 2 and CH 3CN was determined from peak oxidation current observed in cyclic voltammetry of the polymers. The D value of the polymers was in a range of about 1×10 −12–5×10 −12 m 2 s −1, which was considerably smaller than those of ferrocene ( D=470×10 −12 m 2 s −1) and 1,1′-bis(phenylethynyl)ferrocene ( 2) ( D=68×10 −12 m 2 s −1) in accordance with the higher molecular weight of the polymer. Effects of the structure of the π-conjugated polymers on the D value are discussed.