Poly(2-methoxynaphthalene): A spectroelectrochemical study on a fused ring conducting polymer

Abstract Poly(2-methoxynaphthalene) (P2MN) belongs to the category of fused ring organic semiconductors that due to their planar structure have very interesting optical and electrical properties like a reduced band gap and easiness of undergoing both oxidation and reduction. Here, we present a spectroelectrochemical study by means of simultaneous recording of electron spin resonance–UV–vis–near infrared spectra (ESR–UV–vis–NIR) to probe the nature of the charge carriers in both p- and n-doped P2MN. As shown earlier P2MN is both p- and n-dopable, however, further information of the nature of both types of charge carriers is needed. In this work we demonstrate that the dominant charge carrier in p- and n-doped P2MN is positive and negative polarons, respectively. The material under study constitutes an example of an ambipolar organic conjugated polymer capable to conduct both holes and electrons. This is a unique property worthy to be further studied since only a few organic conducting polymers can reversibly be both p- and n-doped.