Gram‐Scale Synthesis of Submicrometer‐Long Polythiophene Wires in Mesoporous Silica Matrices

Abstract

Mesoporous materials get wired: Micelles of the thienyl-substituted ammonium ion 1 in aqueous ammonia solution are applied as matrices for the formation of mesoporous silicate particles from tetraethylorthosilicate. After oxidation with FeCl3 and treatment with HF, polymeric wires with a bimolecular diameter of 3 nm and average lengths of 100–200 nm (see TEM picture) are isolated. The yield of isolated material was consistently above 10% even in gram-scale reactions.