Influence of the Bulkiness of the Substituent on the Aggregation and Magnetic Properties of Poly(3-alkylthiophene)s

A series of poly(3-alkylthiophene)s (P3ATs) (P1–P5) has been synthesized via a Ni(dppp)-mediated polymerization, varying the bulkiness of the alkyl side chains in order to investigate the influence of the bulkiness of the alkyl substituent on the aggregation and magnetic properties of P3ATs. UV–Vis spectroscopy, performed in solution as well as in film, shows that the stacking of the polymers becomes more complicated as the bulkiness of the side chains increases. Both the π-interactions and the planarization of the polymer chains are diminished. While aggregation is absent in poor solvent for the polymer with the most bulky side chains, aggregation was present in film, albeit slowed down. This behavior was also confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments. Electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements, performed at 300 K on powders, confirmed the trend of decreasing supramolecular order with increasing bulkiness of the side-chain. Magnetization measurements, performed at 5 and 300 K, are in line with our hypothesis on the influence of π-interactions and the fraction of planar polymer chains on the coercivity and saturation magnetization, respectively. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 76–86