Langmuir–Blodgett films of ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene derivative containing hydroxyl groups

Abstract

Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films of an ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene (EDT-TTF) derivative containing hydroxyl groups, 4, 5-bis(11-hydroxyundecylthio)-4′, 5′-ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene were deposited without using stabilizer molecules. Doping of the film with iodine leads to oxidation of EDT-TTF moiety as evidenced by UV–vis and IR spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction studies reveal the presence of layered arrangement of the EDT-TTF derivative molecules in the LB film. Cyclic voltammetry studies indicate that the electrochemical oxidation of the EDT-TTF derivative in its LB film is irreversible. Due to the insulating nature of the alkyl chains, only the first layer of the LB film was found to be redox-active. The electrical conductivity of the 25 layer LB film was found to increase by two orders of magnitude on doping with iodine. On equilibrating the doped film in air, the conductivity gradually reduced with time and finally reached the conductivity of undoped film. This reversibility could be because of the steric hindrance induced by the two long alkyl groups. The alkyl chains help in rendering the EDT-TTF molecule amiable to LB film formation but are found to reduce the electrical conductivity of the films and also cause instability of the doped state. The hydroxyl groups at the end of the alky chain impart amphiphilic nature to the molecules and help in stabilizing the film at the air–water interface.