Browsing by Author "Ramoroka, Morongwa"

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    Effect of 2,2-Dialkyl/Diaryl substituents on the opto-electronics of poly (propylene-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophenoimine)-co-poly(3,4- propylenedioxythiophene) dendritic star copolymers
    (Elsevier B.V., 2025) Mdluli, Siyabonga; Ramoroka, Morongwa; John-Denk, Vivian; Iwuoha, Emmanuel
    A series of four dendritic star copolymers that consist of G2poly(propyleneamine) dendrimer core, and pendants of poly(propylene-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) substituted with 2,2- dibenzyl, 2,2-dicyclohexylmethyl, 2,2-dimethyl, and 2,2-dihexyl that grew out from the core, were synthesized using a combination of Schiff base condensation and chemical oxidative copolymerization techniques. Chemical structures of dendritic star copolymers were examined and confirmed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Raman, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies (FTIR). The effect of the 2,2-dialkyl substituents on the opto- electronics and thermal stability of the dendritic star copolymers was evaluated using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and photoluminescence (PL). Insertion of long chains of 2,2-dicyclohexyl showed a bathochromic shift and reduction in optical band gap compared to other substituents. TGA revealed less thermal resistance and fast degradation rates at temperatures above 300 °C associated with copolymers decomposition. This work revealed that modification of copolymers with alkyl or aryl substituents alter significantly with their thermal and optical properties by changing the decomposition temperature and optical bandgap.