Nano-, helical conducting poly(3-methylthiophene) prepared by one-step electro-deposition using cholesteric liquid crystal and anodic aluminum oxide as dual templates

Abstract

Due to the importance of nano-, helical conducting polymers in both fundamental studies and applied research, poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MT) with a nanosized helical structure was synthesized herein by using cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) and an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) film as dual templates. The monomer 3-methylthiophene was polymerised and filled into the nanopores of AAO in the CLC medium by a one-step electro-deposition method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and circular dichroism (CD) analyses proved that the nano-, helical structure of P3MT was successfully obtained by this method. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) revealed that P3MT had the same texture as the CLC, which originated from the template effect of CLC. The electrochemical dual template-assisted approach is easily controlled, highly efficient, and inexpensive for fabricating nano-, helical conducting polymers.