IR and submillimetre-wave spectra of doped poly(p-phenylene vinylene)

Abstract

Poly(p-phenylene vinylene)(PPV) films of varying thickness have been prepared using standard precursor routes. A new oxidative doping technique, using degassed concentrated H₂SO₄ under low pressure, was used. Precise levels of doping were achieved, these levels being dependent on the time of exposure and the thickness of the sample. A very wide range of spectral absorption measurements, covering the range 20–4000 cm^–1, were carried out on doped and undoped samples and on the precursor polymer. Large variations in absorption peaks throughout the entire range were noticed upon doping. New assignments of the unknown IR peaks together with the observed peaks in the submillimetre range are proposed.