Efficient anodic pyridination of poly(3-hexylthiophene) toward post-functionalization of conjugated polymers

Nucleophilic substitution reaction of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with pyridine derivatives as nucleophile was demonstrated in anodic oxidation process. The key reaction involves efficient nucleophilic attack of the pyridine derivatives toward thiophene rings in partly oxidized polymer, i.e., doped state, in the similar manner in which anodic pyridination of electrochemically generated pi-radical cation of a series of oligothiophene takes place in quantitative yield (Y Li K. Kamata, I Kawai, J. Abe and I Iyoda, J Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 2002, 1135-1140). When 1-methyl-4-(4'-pyridyl)pyridinium hexafluorophosphate (MPP+PF6-) was used as a functional nucleophile, the anodic pyridination reaction gave viologen-tailored poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), which was confirmed by electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical methods. The introduced ratio of viologen units was about 60% with respect to the polaron, i.e., one-electron oxidized state localized over five thiophene units.