(325f) Small Molecular Gelator Assisted Gelation of P3HT

Combining the electrical and mechanical properties of conductive polymers with synthetic scaffolds such as hydro/organo gels is an attractive approach for the design of soft materials for potential biomedical and engineering applications. Here, we report the gelation of small molecule gelator, Fmoc(Lys)-Fmoc in the presence of a conductive polymer, Poly(3-hexylthiophene). The gels were formed by a temperature triggered method in chloroform. UV−vis spectroscopic analysis provided an insight into the photophysical response of the gelation process. A nano-fibrillar microstructure for both pristine Fmoc gel and P3HT containing Fmoc gel (hybrid gel) has been captured using atomic force microscopy. The rheological properties of pristine and hybrid gels have been found to similar. Microfabricated interdigitated electrodes were used to measure the conductivity of dried gel films and pure P3HT films. Both these samples displayed a similar level of conductivity despite having a much lower concentration of P3HT in the dried gel films. It has been hypothesized that P3HT in hybrid gels formed a percolated network during the drying process.