Design, Synthesis, and Study of Main Chain Poly(N-Heterocyclic Carbene) Complexes: Applications in Electrochromic Devices

A series of poly(N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes in which the carbene functionalities are orthogonally connected to the main chains of the respective polymers have been synthesized via oxidative electropolymerization of various bis(bithiophene)-substituted monomers with appended transition metal or main group entities (M = Ir, Au, Ag, or S). The polymers were characterized using a range of electrochemical, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, profilometry, and four-point probe conductivity measurements. Most of the polymers exhibited an intense absorbance wave at 700 nm under oxidative conditions which was attributable to the formation of polarons along the main chains. The iridium-containing thin film poly(8) was found to possess a significant NIR absorbance at 1100 nm in which the metal moiety effectively functioned as an electron sink. Electrochemical analyses of the polymer thin films revealed that they exhibited highly reversible electrochromic phenomena.