Obtaining Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) (P3HT) by Electropolymerization as an Alternative for the Substitution of Initiators with Free Radicals

In this work the production of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) by electropolymerization using different materials as working electrodes is reported. Initially, the tests were carried out under atmospheric conditions with all the electrodes, and subsequently those that showed the best performance were selected to repeat the experiments in an inert atmosphere. The formation of the polymer film on the electrode surface was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) in the mid-infrared region (4000-400 cm^-1). This technique allowed the evaluation of the transmittance of P3HT deposited on the electrode surface. The presence of the polymer was confirmed by the appearance of characteristic absorption bands at 2920 cm^-1, 2850 cm^-1, 850 cm^-1 and 730 cm^-1. The absorption peaks found at 2920 cm^-1, 2850 cm^-1 and 850 cm^-1 show the presence of the typical functional groups of P3HT. These results suggest that the proposed method could represent a viable alternative for obtaining semiconductor polymers, avoiding the use of initiators with free radicals potentially harmful to human health.