Two‐step thermochromism in poly(3‐docosoxy‐4‐methylthiophene): Mechanistic similarity to poly(3‐docosylthiophene)

Abstract

Poly(3-docosoxy-4-methylthiophene) (PDMT) was synthesized and investigated. PDMT can form a mesophase by rapid quenching from the isotropic melt. Variable- temperature reflection and fluorescence spectroscopy of thin films and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study the thermal behavior of PDMT. PDMT shows a two- step thermochromic transition from the mesophase, and endotherms in the thermograms could be assigned to melting of each phase. A comparison to with related poly(3-alkylthiophene)s suggests that the mechanism of the thermochromic transition is very similar.