FTIR study of self-protonation and gel formation in pyridinic solutions of poly(4-vinylpyridine)

Abstract

An FTIR study reveals the complex zwitterion (R₂C⁻–Py⁺–H) in a polymeric chain of poly(4-vinylpyridine), which results from self-protonation of the latter in a pyridine solution. Presumably this complex ion, together with the observed strongly hydrogen-bonded network, is responsible for the formation of a gel with unique tunable emission properties.