Jacketed Poly(p-phenyleneethynylene)s:  Nonaggregating Conjugated Polymers as Blue-Emitting Rods

• Published in: Macromolecules Vol. 37; no. 22; pp. 8212 - 8221
• Main Authors: Englert, Brian C., Smith, Mark D., Hardcastle, Kenneth I., Bunz, Uwe H. F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 02.11.2004
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymers with particular properties; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; Phenylene derivative copolymer; Structure effect; Solution polycondensation; Phenyleneethynylene derivative copolymer; Photoluminescence; Experimental study; Modeling; Branched chain; Side chain; Conjugated copolymer; Polyynic compound; Optical properties; Preparation; Alternating copolymer; AM1 method; Optical absorption; Dendritic structure; Conformation
• ISSN: 0024-9297; 1520-5835
• DOI: 10.1021/ma048535q

A series of dendronized poly(p-phenyleneethynylene)s were synthesized by the Pd-catalyzed coupling of a tetraphenylbenzene-substituted aromatic diiodide to 2,5-didodecyl-1,4-diethynylbenzene to form PPEs in excellent yield and high degree of polymerization. The tetraphenylbenzene-substituted monomer was obtained by a Diels−Alder reaction of a diethynylated arene with tetraphenylcyclopentadienone. The influence of the tether length (connecting the tetraphenylbenzene units to the main chain of the polymer) on the optical properties of the polymers was investigated. The closer the tetraphenylbenzene units were placed to the main chain, the larger is their effect upon the PPE's optical properties. In the case where the tether is shortest, i.e., two atoms, the optical properties of the PPE in the solid state and in solution are identical.