Loading…

Fabrication of electroactive multi-layered polyazulene thin films by atmospheric pressure-vapor phase polymerization

Thin films of polyazulene (PAz) are produced by using an optimized atmospheric pressure–vapor phase polymerization (AP-VPP) method. Method optimization is carried out by studying the effect of cell temperature, substrate temperature, polymerization time, and washing-solvent on film properties like o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials chemistry and physics 2022-01, Vol.275, p.125292, Article 125292
Main Authors: Yewale, Rahul, Damlin, Pia, Suominen, Milla, Kvarnström, Carita
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Thin films of polyazulene (PAz) are produced by using an optimized atmospheric pressure–vapor phase polymerization (AP-VPP) method. Method optimization is carried out by studying the effect of cell temperature, substrate temperature, polymerization time, and washing-solvent on film properties like optical bandgap, sheet resistance, surface roughness, and % transmittance (%T). Multi-layered PAz films were produced by layer-by-layer engineering. The effects of thin, electroactive multiple layers on film properties are investigated. UV–Vis, IR, and Raman analysis are utilized to understand the extended conjugation length and nature of the charge carriers. The spectroscopic data revealed the anomalous behaviour of PAz at a high level of doping. The proportion and amount of quinoid conformation is discussed. The addition of layers changes the transport of ions across the electroactive PAz films, which is studied using cyclic voltammetry at various scan rates. AFM and SEM images reveal a change in structural properties which is further correlated with a deviation of capacitance values at elevated scan rate. Comparison with earlier reported literature on electrochemically and chemically synthesized PAz is also provided. The conductivity, transparency and high capacitance show a promising application of AP-VPP PAz in various fields. [Display omitted] •First report on ultra thin (36–117 nm) polyazulene films synthesized by AP-VPP.•Elucidation of structure, nature of charge carriers, and non-linear doping.•Structural engineering of conducting multi-layered PAz films (12–20 mS/cm).•High capacitance (706.2 F/cm3) PAz films with low bandgap (1.6 eV).
ISSN:0254-0584
1879-3312
DOI:10.1016/j.matchemphys.2021.125292