Chain-Growth Polymerization of 2‑Chlorothiophenes Promoted by Lewis Acids

Lewis acids promote the polymerization of several 2-chloroalkylenedioxythiophenes, providing high-molecular-weight conjugated polymers. The proposed mechanism is a cationic chain-growth polymerization, as confirmed by end-capping reactions and a linear correlation of molecular weight with percent conversion. The “living” character of this process was used to prepare new block copolymers