Electrochromism-driven linearly and circularly polarised dichroism of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) derivatives with chirality and liquid crystallinity.

This review presents recent advances in the synthesis, electrochemical properties, and optical functions of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) derivatives embodying chirality and liquid crystallinity. Various methods for preparing the optically active and liquid crystalline (LC) PEDOT derivatives, such as (i) the introduction of chiral substituents into polymer side chains, (ii) chemical or electrochemical polymerisation by using lipid assemblies as templates, (iii) electrochemical polymerisation in asymmetric LC reaction fields, and (iv) the addition of a chiral dopant to LC-PEDOT derivatives, are discussed. Throughout the review, linearly and/or circularly dichroic electrochromism, hierarchically controlled spiral structure, and aligned morphology are demonstrated to be promising for the development of multifunctional PEDOT derivatives.