Oligothiophene-containing polymer brushes by ROMP and RAFT: Synthesis, characterization and dielectric properties

We report the synthesis of oligothiophene-containing polymer brushes and their application as nanodielectric materials in capacitors. Specifically, terthiophene-containing methacrylate polymer brushes were synthesized via a "graft from" technique by a combination of ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Both X-ray scattering and thermal studies indicated that polymer brushes led to the formation of small nanoscale crystalline domains (∼2 nm) dispersed in an amorphous matrix. Notably, the film forming capability and processability are greatly improved in comparison with corresponding homopolymers. Transparent free-standing films could be readily fabricated based on these polymer brushes and used for dielectric property studies. The adoption of polymer brush architecture into the oligothiophene-containing polymers has been proved to be an effective strategy to improve the mechanical robustness of films.