β-functionalized oligothiophenes for molecular self-assembly

Oligothiophenes carrying an alkylthiol group on one of the internal beta-positions have been synthesized and adsorbed onto platinum and gold. The adsorbed assemblies are not very weil organized, probably due to the geometry of the single molecules. The thiophene-based layers exhibit electrochemical activity in non aqueous electrolytes. The monomer units within the layers can be polymerized by a single anodic sweep. The obtained polymers show a high electrochemical and thermal stability. In some cases the polymer shows an increase of the structural order compared to the monomer layers.