(181l) Fmoc Assisted Gelation of P3HT

Conductive polymers are widely being investigated for various applications such as chemical/biological sensors, biomedical devices, energy storage, and conversion. In this research, we investigate the gelation of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) in chloroform. Effect of P3HT and Fmoc concentration on the gel formation has been investigated. UV−vis spectroscopy and FTIR analysis have been applied to elucidate the gelation process. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were employed for the direct visualization of the assembled structure and cavitation rheology was used to determine the mechanical properties of these gels. These results suggest that Fmoc molecules facilitate the gel formation of P3HT. The conductivity of these gels have also been investigated.