Thermal stability and kinetic study of conductive polymers containing phenylene and bithiophene units

A series of conductive polymers containing alternating phenylene and substi tuted bithiophene repeat units was synthesized and studied using thermograv imetry (TG). Polymers with longer substituted alkyl chains exhibit lower th ermal stability compared to those with shorter alkyl chains. Activation ene rgies obtained by the Kissinger's method gave support to this observation. Poly[1,4-bis(3-octyl-2-thienyl)phenylene] (PBTBC8), one of the polymers in the series, was also studied under isothermal conditions and the activation energies obtained agreed quite well with those from dynamic TG. The therma l stability of polymers in the doped state was also studied and the adverse effect caused by dopant was less pronounced compared to the polyalkylthiop henes reported in the literature. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science S. A. All rights reserved.