Solubility characteristics of poly(3‐hexylthiophene)

Abstract

ABSTRACTSolubility data for poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in 29 pure solvents are presented and discussed in detail. Functional solubility parameter (FSP) and convex solubility parameter (CSP) computations are performed and the CSP and FSP results are compared to previously reported Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) and to the parameters calculated using additive functional group contribution methods. The empirical data reveals experimental solubility parameters with substantial polar (δP) and hydrogen‐bonding (δH) components, which are not intrinsic to the structure of the P3HT polymer. Despite these apparent irregularities, it is shown that the predictor method based on the solubility function, f, does provide a reliable way to quantitatively evaluate the solubility of P3HT in other solvents in terms of a given set of empirical solubility data. The solubility behavior is further investigated using linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) modeling and COSMO‐RS computations of the activity coefficients of P3HT. The LSER model reveals that (1) the cavity term, δT, is the dominant factor governing the solubility behavior of P3HT and (2) the solvent characteristics that dictate the structural order (crystallinity) of P3HT aggregates do not similarly influence the overall solubility behavior of the polymer. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017, 55, 1075–1087