Elemental Sulfur Mediated Novel Multicomponent Redox Polycondensation for the Synthesis of Alternating Copolymers Based on 2,4?Thiophene/Arene Repeating Units

A sulfur-based self-condensation method is investigated as an efficient tool for the synthesis of polythiophene derivatives. The reaction proceeds through multicomponent redox polycondensation between readily available diketone compounds and elemental sulfur in presence a Brønsted acid/base pair. Six different derivatives have been screened polymerization generalized by so-far-unprecedented alternating copolymers based on 2,4-thiophene/arene repeating units. By exploiting microwave heating synthetic procedure optimized, particularly containing aryl thiophene units, such that copolymer can be synthesized only 24 h compared to conventional process taking 6 d, yielding polymers within same apparent weight average molar mass (Mw). All obtained are analyzed detail using size exclusion chromatography (SEC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).