Browsing by Author "Wei, Bin"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Electrochemically polymerized conjugated polymer films: stability improvement and surface functionalization(University of Delaware, 2016) Wei, BinConjugated polymers have been widely used in various applications including organic solar cells, electrochromic devices, chemical sensors, and biomedical devices. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and its derivatives have received considerable interest because of their low oxidation potential, relatively high chemical stability, and high conductivity. Electrochemical deposition is a convenient method for precisely fabricating conjugated polymer thin films. Here, we report the stability improvement and surface functionalization of electrochemically polymerized PEDOT films. The long-term performance of PEDOT coatings is limited by their relatively poor stability on various inorganic substrates. Two different methods were used to improve the stability of PEDOT coatings, one involved using carboxylic acid functionalized EDOT (EDOT-acid) as adhesion promoter. EDOT-acid molecules were chemically bonded onto activated metal oxide substrates via chemisorption. PEDOT was then polymerized onto the EDOT-acid modified substrates, forming covalently bonded coatings. An aggressive ultrasonication test confirmed the significantly improved adhesion of the PEDOT films on electrodes with EDOT-acid treatment over those without treatment. The other method was to use an octa-ProDOT-functionalized POSS derivative (POSSProDOT) as cross-linker. PEDOT copolymer films were electrochemically deposited with various concentrations of POSS-ProDOT. The optical, morphological and electrochemical properties of the copolymer films could be systematically tuned with the incorporation of POSS-ProDOT. Significantly enhanced electrochemical and mechanical stability of the copolymers were observed at intermediate levels of POSS-ProDOT content (3.1 wt%) via chronic stimulation tests. Surface functionalization of conducting polymer films provides a potential means for systematically tailoring their chemical and physical properties. We have synthesized, polymerized and characterized a dialkene-functionalized variant of the ProDOT monomer. With the alkene side groups, highly efficient post-polymerization functionalization of the conducting film was successfully achieved via a radical-based thiol-ene “click” reaction with various terminal thiols, including alkanes, ethylene glycols, and ferrocenes. These surface modification led to dramatic changes in the charge transport and wetting behavior of the chemically functionalized films.Item Poly[3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene (EDOT)-co-1,3,5-tri[2-(3,4-ethylene dioxythienyl)]-benzene (EPh)] copolymers (PEDOT-co-EPh): optical, electrochemical and mechanical properties(Royal Society of Chemistry., 2015-02-09) Ouyang, Liangqi; Kuo, Chin-Chen; Farrell, Brendan; Pathak, Sheevangi; Wei, Bin; Qu, Jing; Martin, David C.; Liangqi Ouyang, Chin-chen Kuo, Brendan Farrell, Sheevangi Pathak, Bin Wei, Jing Qu and David C. Martin; Ouyang, Liangqi; Kuo, Chin-chen; Farrell, Brendan; Wei, Bin; Qu, Jing; Martin, David C.PEDOT-co-EPh copolymers with systematic variations in composition were prepared by electrochemical polymerization from mixed monomer solutions in acetonitrile. The EPh monomer is a trifunctional crosslinking agent with three EDOTs around a central benzene ring. With increasing EPh content, the color of the copolymers changed from blue to yellow to red due to decreased absorption in the near infrared (IR) spectrum and increased absorption in the visible spectrum. The surface morphology changed from rough and nanofibrillar to more smooth with rounded bumps. The electrical transport properties dramatically decreased with increasing EPh content, resulting in coatings that either substantially lowered the impedance of the electrode (at the lowest EPh content), leave the impedance nearly unchanged (near 1% EPh), or significantly increase the impedance (at 1% and above). The mechanical properties of the films were substantially improved with EPh content, with the 0.5% EPh films showing an estimated 5× improvement in modulus measured by AFM nanoindentation. The PEDOT-co-EPh copolymer films were all shown to be non-cytotoxic toward and promote the neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. Given these results, we expect that the films of most interest for neural interface applications will be those with improved mechanical properties that maintain the improved charge transport performance (with 1% EPh and below).Item Post-polymerization functionalization of poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT) via thiol–ene “click” chemistry(Royal Society of Chemistry., 2015-02-25) Wei, Bin; Ouyang, Liangqi; Liu, Jinglin; Martin, David C.; Bin Wei, Liangqi Ouyang, Jinglin Liua and David C. Martin; Wei, Bin; Ouyang, Liangqi; Liu, Jinglin; Martin, David C.The surface functionalization of conjugated polymers such as the poly(alkoxythiophenes) poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT) provides a potential means for systematically tailoring their physical properties. We previously reported the synthesis of an alkene-functionalized 3,4-propylenedioxy-thiophene (ProDOT) derivative that could be readily modified through thiol–ene “click” chemistry. Here, we investigated the post-polymerization modification of PProDOT surfaces by using a dialkene functionalized variant (ProDOT-diene). The chemical structure of the ProDOT-diene monomer was confirmed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The ProDOT-diene monomer was either chemically or electrochemically polymerized into the PProDOT-diene polymer, and then subsequently modified with alkyl, PEG, or ferrocene moieties via radical-based thiol–ene chemistry. We found that the normally insoluble PProDOT-diene could be converted into a soluble derivative by grafting alkyl groups onto the polymer chains after chemical polymerization. When electrochemically deposited on indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass electrodes, the conductivity, electroactivity and contact angles of the modified PProDOT-diene films could be tuned over a broad range. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed that post-polymerization modification did not significantly alter the surface morphology of the PProDOT-diene films. Overall, this method allows for efficient, facile tuning of the surface chemistry of poly(alkylthiophene) films, making it possible to tailor properties such as conductivity and wettability for different applications.