Synthesis and characterization of all-conjugated copolymers of 3-hexyl-thiophene and EDOT by grignard metathesis polymerization

Random regioregular copolymers of 3-hexylthiophene and 3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene were synthesized by grignard metathesis polymerization. Soluble copolymers were obtained with a high degree of regioregularity and with a monomer ratio close to the feed ratio. A comparison between the optical properties and the thin film morphologies of these copolymers and poly(3-hexylthiophene) is also presented. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011 Grignard metathesis (GRIM) polymerization has been applied to prepare random soluble copolymers of 3-hexyl-thiophene and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT). These copolymers show a very high degree of regioregularity. The monomer ratio within the polymer is very close to the feed ratio, showing that the two monomers have similar reactivities under the GRIM conditions. The presence of EDOT units causes a slight change of the optical properties and a strong modification of the thin film morphology.