Regioregular poly(3‐alkylthiophenes): Synthesis,characterization, and application in conductive fabrics

Poly(3‐dodecylthiophene) (P3DDT) and poly(3‐decylthiophene) (P3DT) with high contents of head‐to‐tail linkages (86 and 85%, respectively) were synthesized in high yields by a facile oxidative polymerization with ferric chloride in chloroform at room temperature. We believe that the low concentration and ultraslow addition of monomers to ferric chloride contributed to the high regioregularity. Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms indicated that the formed polymers consisted of crystalline, quasiordered, and disordered phases, which is a common feature of highly regioregular polymers. We prepared conductive fabrics with specific resistance of 30 and 100 Ω/sq by impregnating polyamide fabrics in a chloroform solution of P3DDT and P3DT, respectively. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2131–2135, 2004