Electrochemical and electrogravimetric behaviors of conducting polymer. Theoretical aspects and application to co-polymer films based on juglone

Redox mechanisms of conducting polymers are not yet fully understood. Attractive analytical tools and pertinent models are necessary to achieve this goal. In this paper, numerical simulations based on a theory dealing with ions transfer through electroactive film/electrolyte interface was developed to predict the behavior of a conducting polymer called poly(JUG-co-JUGA). The main advantage of this approach is that it can be applied for any polymer assuming a mixed conducting material and a thin enough film neglecting the transport effect. It is the first time where the same model allows both classical cyclic electrogravimetry (current and mass over a potential scan) and ac-electrogravimetry (electrochemical impedance and mass/potential transfer functions) to be estimated theoretically. Moreover and to our knowledge the electrochemical behavior of poly(JUG-co-JUGA) was examined through these techniques for the first time. It is shown herein that the cation transfer is preponderant but the free solvent motion must be taken into account. This effect is not detected by classical electrochemical measurements but only by combining electrochemical characterization to gravimetric measurements. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.