Electrosynthesis and characterization of aminomethyl functionalized PEDOT with electrochromic property

We herein report the electrosynthesis of an aminomethyl functionalized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) derivative, poly(2'-aminomethyl-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT-MeNH2), in CH2Cl2-Bu4NPF6 (0.1 mol center dot L-1) system containing 2% boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BFEE). The electrochemical behavior, structure characterization, thermal properties and surface morphology of this novel polymer were systematically investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Electrochemistry results demonstrated that PEDOT-MeNH2 film displayed good redox properties and high electrochemical stability. Besides, PEDOT-MeNH2 films exhibited the electrochromic nature with obvious color changing from purple in the reduced form to blue upon oxidation. By further investigation, kinetic studies revealed that PEDOT-MeNH2 film had decent contrast ratio (41.8%), favorable coloration efficiency (152.1 cm(2)center dot C-1), low switching voltages and moderate response time (2.4 s). Satisfactory results implied that the obtained PEDOT-MeNH2 film is a promising optoelectronic material and holds promise for electrochromic devices and display applications.