Shifting from hydrogen bond network to π-π stacking: a key mechanism for reversible thermochromic sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone).

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) thin film performs reversible thermochromic property by developing the color to be yellowish at the temperature above 190 °C. The detailed analyses based on temperature-dependent techniques suggest the thermal treatment inducing the shifting of the hydrogen bond network between the sulfonated group and the hydrated water molecules to the π-π stacking among aromatic rings in SPEEK chains. Although it is general that the polymer chain packing is unfavorable at high temperature, the present work shows a good example that when the polymer chains can form specific molecular interaction, such as π-π stacking, even in harsh thermal treatment, a rearrangement will effectively occur, which leads to an external stimuli-responsive property.