Synthesis and characterization of poly(carbazole ethyl methacrylate) and its electrodeposition on ITO

Poly(ethyl methacrylate) functionalized with pendant carbazole moieties was synthesized via reversible addition fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Structural characteristics of the homopolymers were studies using Fourier-transform Infrared (FT-IR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ("1H-NMR). Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was utilized to determine the molecular weight and showed an average of 27,000 g/mol. To determine the carbazole pendants of poly(ethyl methacrylate), cylic voltammetry was employed. This was done by sweeping the potential across the three electrode system form 0-1.4V with indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass slide serving as the working electrode. The structure and optical characteristics of the electrodeposited polycarbazole film were then observed using UV-Vis and FT-IR spectroscopy, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the surface morphology of the film while its thickness was measured using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was also employed to determine the surface roughness and topography of the film. Investigation of the characteristics of electropolymerized carbazole film may lead to interesting electrochromic properties, alternative materials in electro-optical devices and may have potential application in organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). (author)