Members of CMY Color Space: Cyan and Magenta Colored Polymers Based on Oxadiazole Acceptor Unit

In this study, three novel oxadiazole-based polymers were synthesized and their electrochemical and optical properties were investigated. The polymers were found to have both p- and n-type doping properties accompanied by electrochromic response. Two polymer films exhibit cyan and magenta colors, which constitute two legs of CMY color spaces, in their neutral states and they are soluble in common-organic solvents. According to the color mixing theory, all colors in the visible spectrum including black color can be obtained by using these polymers with a yellow colored electrochromic polymer. Among these polymers, the polymer bearing propyledioxythiophene donor units has some superior properties like high stability (it retains 94% of its electroactivity after 2000 cycles), solubility, and high coloration efficiency (230 cm2/C), whereas as expected ethylenedioxythiophene containing one has the lowest band gap as 1.08 eV.