Fusible Poly(3-alkylselenophene) and Its Properties

The electrical conductivity of poly(3-alkylselenophene) is low and exhibits the range of an insulator. The band gap of poly(3-alkylselenophene) is evaluated at around 2.4 eV, which is larger than that of poly(3-alkylthiophene). The results are interpreted in terms of the decrease of the coplanary of selenophene rings due to a steric hindrance between the alkyl group and the large Se atom. Poly(3-alkylselenophene) is found to be soluble in several solvents. However, the color of the solution does not change drastically with temperature. Poly(3-dodecylselenophene) is found to be fusible at around 250°C, which is higher than the corresponding temperature for poly(3-dodecylthiophene) with the same alkyl chain length.