Investigation of poly(arylenevinylene)s, 40. Electrochemical studies on poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s

Differential pulse polarography (DPP) and cyclovoltammetry (CV) were conducted to study the redox behaviour of poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) (PPV; E ox1 = 0,76 V; E red1 = −1,74 V) as well as of three insoluble PPV‐derivatives and four soluble aryl‐substituted PPV's. Oxidation studies of DP‐PPV, DMOP‐PPV and DPOP‐PPV in comparison with two series of the oligomeric model compounds 1a–e and 2a–d lead to the conclusion that for DMOP‐PPV (E ox1 = 0,98, 1,24,1,31 V) and DPOP‐PPV (E ox1 = 1,10, 1,29, 1,44 V) three distinct oxidation stages exist, which are reversibly occupied and represent 1/2, 1 and 2 positive charges per repeating unit. In DP‐PPV two oxidation stages representing 1/2 and 1 positive charges were found to be reversibly occupied (E ox1 = 1,17, 1,69 V), whereas at higher potentials irreversible dehydrocyclization occurred.