Novel synthesis of polyelectrolyte

Abstract

A new type of conjugated ionic polyacetylene was synthesized by metathesis polymerization with transition metal catalyst. The monomers used were dihexyldipropargyl ammonium salts having bromide and tosylate as counteranions. It was found that $MoCl_5$-based catalyst systems were very effective for the cyclopolymerization of the present ionic monomers. $^1H$,$^{13}C$ NMR, IR, UV-visible spectroscopies showed that these polymers possess polyene structures having 6-membered cyclic recurring units in the polymer backbone. The polymers obtained exhibit good solubility in polar organic solvents such as methanol, DMSO, DMF, THF, $CHCL_3$, etc., indicative of their ionic nature. When doped with an acceptor such as iodine, the polymers exhibited a substantial increase ($\sim$10$^{-3}$S/cm) in electrical conductivity compared to the undoped state ($\sim$10$^{-9}$S/cm).