Conformational changes during the redox switching of electroactive polymers

G YBARRA; C MOINA; E M ANDRADE; F. V. MOLINA; MI FLORIT; M. J. RODRIGUEZ PRESA; D POSADAS

Journal of the Argentine Chemical Society

Asociación Química Argentina

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2003 vol. 91 p. 119 - 134

0365-0375

In this work experimental results published and unpublished, showing conformational changes and swelling of electroactive polymers, in contact with al external electrolyte or during its redox switching, are reported. Thus, voltammetric results showing relaxation effects, both at room temperature and in the range 200-300 K, Rotating Ring Disk Electrode monitoring of the ingress/egress of protons from the polymer after electrochemical relaxation, volume changes monitored by image capture and AFM and changes in the UV-Vis spectra following relaxation are shown. These experiments show that either as a consequence of relaxation or the change of the composition of the external medium the polymers undergo conformational changes and swelling. A simple model based on Polyelectrolyte theory is proposed to rationalize these findings.