6533b826fe1ef96bd1284935

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Towards Multifunctional Materials Incorporating Elastomers and Reversible Redox-Active Fragments

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This paper presents a novel and unique feature of metallacarboranes, consisting of the linkage of this redox electro-active site to a stretchable polymer. This is based on polyTHF, a known and applied material. This hybrid material has the two ends functionalized: one with the aforemen- tioned redox molecule and the other with a terminal OH group, both linked by a molecular spring. Moreover, the redox electro-active molecules can be synthesized with either cobalt (cobaltabisdicarbollide) or with iron (ferrabisdi- carbollide), species whose respective E1/2 value differs by almost 1 V. The polymerization mechanism, based on an in- termediate molecular crystal structure, is explained through an unexpected cyclization process of the dioxanate deriva- tive of the metallacarboranes with an additional THF mole- cule. This is achieved in the absence of any metal or external electrophile. Surface functionalization of a Pt electrode by the electropolymerization of pyrrole doped with the pristine metallacarboranes and with the polyTHF hybrid materials is reported in this paper.