Electrochemical copolymerization of dibenzo-18-crown-6 and carbazole and characterization of their copolymer

The electrochemical copolymerization of carbazole (CZ) and dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DBC) was successfully achieved in pure boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BFEE) by direct anodic oxidation of the monomer mixtures on the platinum or stainless steel electrodes. The optimal feed ratio together with the suitable applied potential for their copolymerization was determined. The copolymer films, which were electrosynthesized with a feed ratio of CZ/DBC = 1:5, owned both the advantages of poly(dibenzo-18-crown-6) (PDBC) and polycarbazole (PCZ), such as nice electrochemical behavior, excellent fluorescence properties and good mechanical properties. Besides, the copolymers possessed better thermal stability and higher electrical conductivity than those of PDBC or PCZ. The structure of the copolymers was investigated by UV–vis and FT-IR spectroscopy. Fluorescent spectral studies revealed that the dedoped copolymer film was a good blue-light emitter with strong emission at 410 nm. With these advantageous properties, as-formed poly(CZ-co-DBC) films may be a good candidate for optoelectronic devices.