Synthesis and characterization of poly(N-(2-(thiophen-3-yl)methylcarbonyloxyethyl)maleimide) and its spectroelectrochemical properties

A new monomer; N-(2-(thiophen-3-yl)methylcarbonyloxyethyl) maleimide (NMT) was synthesized. The chemical structure of the monomer was characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H-NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. Electrochemical polymerization of NMT was performed in acetonitrile (AN)/borontrifloride ethylether (BFEE) solvent mixture (1:1, v/v) where tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TBAFB) was utilized as the supporting electrolyte. The resulting conducting polymer was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, thermal analyses and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Electrical conductivity was measured by the four-probe technique. The spectroelectrochemical behavior and switching ability of P(NMT) film were investigated by UV–Vis spectrophotometry. P(NMT) revealed color changes between yellow and blue in the reduced and oxidized states respectively.