Polythiophene microspheres synthesized by transition metal mediated oxidative dispersion polymerization

Abstract

INTRODUCTION In the past two decades, significant achievements have been made in the synthesis of soluble polythiophene (PT) derivatives. The incorporation of various functional side chains enables PT to be easily processed by solution method and gifts many interesting bonus properties as well. Nonetheless, these procedures are usually complex and expensive, which generally require stringent conditions and sometimes toxic solvents. Furthermore, for photovoltaic applications, the material stability under continuous illumination has to be taken into account. The solubilizing side chains may be passive in terms of light harvesting and charge transport, and they may also make the materials soft and allow for diffusion of small molecules and constituents. Recently, Bjerring et al. prepared unsubstituted PT films by solution processing thermocleaving method in which the solubilizing side chains were removed after the formation of polymer film.