LAUSR

A series of conducting polymers, formed from an electropolymerizable Schiff-base ligand, N,N′-((2,2′-dimethyl)propyl)bis(2-thiophenyl)salcylidenimine, and the corresponding metal complexes (i.e., Ni(II), Cu(II), V(IV)═O, Co(II), and Zn(II)) have been prepared, characterized, and studied in detail. Our successful synthesis of the ligand polymer helps to make a direct comparison between the properties of metal-free conducting polymers and the corresponding metallopolymers. This enables the role of metal centers in these Schiff-base conducting metallopolymers (CMPs) in particular, and in Wolf type III CMPs in general, to be unambiguously elucidated. Vis–NIR absorption spectroelectrochemical studies show that longer distances for charge delocalization were found in the CMPs when compared to the metal-free counterpart, an indication of the contribution of the metal centers in extending the effective conjugation length of these electroactive polymers. The systematic use of both redox-active and redox-inactive f...