Electrochemical Synthesis of Poly(p-phenylene xylylidene), a New Electrically Conducting Polymer

Abstract

Electroreduction of α,α,α,α′,α′,α′-hexachloro-p-xylene at a copper electrode in n-Bu₄NBF₄-propylene carbonate gave a free-standing film of poly(p-phenylene xylylidene), PPX, a new conducting polymer with phenylenic and acetylenic backbones. The PPX film exhibited a conductivity of 70 S cm⁻¹ on doping with SO₃.