Facile synthesis of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) by acid-assisted polycondensation of 5-bromo-2,3-dihydro-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxine

Abstract Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) can be obtained by acid-assisted polycondensation from 5-bromo-2,3-dihydro-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxine. Detailed characterization of the obtained polymer was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Cyclic voltammetry (CV), Infrared spectrum (IR), UV–vis absorbance spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Because it may involve acid assisted mechanism, the generated hydrobromic acid can accelerate such polycondensation process. Moreover, according to the monomer's liquid feature and structure characterization, our research may broaden acid-assisted polycondensation application among other monohalogen substituted thiophene-based derivatives.