The electrochemistry of some novel organic conductors and their precursors

Abstract

Conducting salts of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and a series of oxonol dyes have been prepared electrochemically by the in situ oxidation of TTF in the presence of the anion of the dye. The salt having the greatest conductivity (0.1 Sm−1) is a TTF-N-ethyl hydroxypyridone trimethine oxonol salt. A cyclic voltammetric study of the salts and precursors, electron spin resonnce and photoelectron spectra and the pH dependence of the rest potential are reported. On heating above 150°C the conductivity of the complex and the esr signal decayed, although this is a lower temperature than that at which the complex decomposes (256°C).