Electrogenerated conjugated polymers incorporating a ferrocene-derivatized-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)

A ferrocene-derivatized ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) (1) has been synthesized. The co-electropolymerization of this precursor with hydroxymethyl EDOT (2) and a two-site precusor involving two EDOT groups linked by a polyether chain (3) has been investigated in potentiodynamic and potentiostatic conditions in acetonitrile and nitrobenzene. The analysis of the electrochemical behavior of the films grown under various conditions show that potentiostatic copolymerization of 1 and 3 in nitrobenzene leads to a stable electroactive copolymer which retains the electroactivity of the ferrocene group even in aqueous medium.