EFFECT OF SOLVENT NATURE ON THE REDOX BEHAVIOR OF ELECTRON-CONDUCTIONPOLYMERS

The possibility of anodic and cathodic doping of polybithiophene in va rious solvents is studied. The solvent ability to solvate a dopant ion and the solvent aptitude to the donor-acceptor interaction with charg ed fragments of polymeric chains are shown to be the main parameters a ffecting thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics or the redox transf ormations under study, The dependence of formal potentials for the ano dic and cathodic doping processes on the dopant solvation parameters i s investigated in aprotic solvents without strong donor-acceptor inter actions. The potentials are determined with respect to a reference ele ctrode whose potential is independent of the solvent nature. The linea r correlation between the formal potentials and the ion solvation ener gies points to the dopant desolvation during the doping process.