Multicomponent Interdiffusion and Self-Diffusion of the Cationic Poly{[9,9-bis(6 '-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl]fluorene-phenylene} Dibromide in a Dimethyl Sulfoxide plus Water Solution

The diffusion behavior of the conjugated polyelectrolyte poly{[9,9-bis(6'-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl]fluorene-phenylene) bromide (HTMA-PFP) with different molecular weights has been studied in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) + water solutions. Samples of HTMA-PFP with various molecular weights were obtained by synthesis of poly[9,9-bis(6'-bromohexyl)fluorene-phenylene] via a Suzuki coupling reaction, characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and quaternized with trimethylamine. Multicomponent chemical interdiffusion coefficients (mutual diffusion coefficients) were determined for solutions of HTMA-PFP and DMSO in water using the Taylor dispersion method. The results suggest specific interactions between the DMSO and the polymer. In addition, these systems were studied by pulse-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (PFG-NMR), and the corresponding self-diffusion coefficients were obtained. These were modeled using the Kirkwood-Riseman model, and a good fit to the observed behavior was obtained using literature data for molecular dimensions.