Deformation of redox-active polymer gel based on polysiloxane backbone and bis(benzodithiolyl)bithienyl scaffold

Redox-active polymer gels consisting of polysiloxane backbone and bis(benzodithiolyl)bithienyl units have been designed and synthesized. The bis(benzodithiolyl)bithienyl units, which undergo interconversion between cyclic form and opened dicationic form, have been incorporated into polysiloxane backbone via hydrosilylation of vinyl-terminated bis(benzodithiolyl)bithienyl derivative and poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMHS) or poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-hydrogenmethylsiloxane) (PDMS-co-PMHS), resulting in polymer gels cross-linked with bis(benzodithiolyl)bithienyl units. After the incorporation of M1 into polysiloxane backbone, these polymer gels (P1 and P2) also exhibit redox responses associated with the electrochemical interconversion of the bis(benzodithiolyl)bithienyl moieties. The polymer gels show swelling behavior upon chemical oxidization, and bending behavior has been observed for the polymer gel immobilized poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVdF) film. These results provide a useful perspective for fabricating redox-triggered polymer gel actuators based on the conformational change of the functional molecular unit.