10.1021/jp3096242.s001 Norihiko Takeda Norihiko Takeda John R. Miller John R. Miller Poly(3-decylthiophene) Radical Anions and Cations in Solution: Single and Multiple Polarons and Their Delocalization Lengths in Conjugated Polymers American Chemical Society 2012 THF P 3DT chain Conjugated PolymersOptical absorption spectra P 3DT pulse radiolysis polaron 2012-12-20 00:00:00 Journal contribution https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Poly_3_decylthiophene_Radical_Anions_and_Cations_in_Solution_Single_and_Multiple_Polarons_and_Their_Delocalization_Lengths_in_Conjugated_Polymers/2459005 Optical absorption spectra of anions and cations of poly­(3-decylthiophene) (P3DT) in solution were identified as single polarons. Pulse radiolysis of P3DT in THF determined the spatial extent of one negative polaron to be ∼11.5 thiophene units by observing transient absorption of P3DT<sup>–•</sup> radical ions, which are prinicpally free ions, at 850 nm with ε = (7.25 ± 0.47) × 10<sup>4</sup> M<sup>–1</sup> cm<sup>–1</sup> and bleaching of the neutral absorption band at 450 nm. P3DT<sup>–•</sup> was formed in a combination of diffusive reactions and fast “step” processes. Similarly, a positive polaron of P3DT was estimated to delocalize over ∼8.7 thiophene units by pulse radiolysis in chloroform. Chemical reduction by sodium and oxidation by FeCl<sub>3</sub> injected multiple charges into a single P3DT chain while showing absorption spectra in the early stages of reaction resembling those observed by pulse radiolysis. The results indicated that multiple polarons exist in a single chain of P3DT before coalescing into bipolarons or transforming into other forms of polaron.