Issue 6, 2011

Tetra-alkoxy substituted PPV derivatives: a new class of highly soluble liquid crystalline conjugated polymers

Abstract

Two first examples of highly soluble tetra-alkoxy substituted PPV derivatives, poly(2,3,5,6-tetrahexyloxy-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (TH-PPV) and poly[2,3,5,6-tetra(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] TEH-PPV, are presented. Both polymers have been fully characterized and the solubility and UV-Vis absorption characteristics have been studied in various organic solvents. Due to the symmetric nature of the repeating unit, TH-PPV and TEH-PPV have an inherently regioregular nature, which is unusual for PPV-type polymers. Observations from polarized light microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry indicate that TH-PPV exhibits thermally induced order resulting in a liquid crystalline mesophase. In contrast, due to steric hindrance of the branched alkyl side chains, TEH-PPV is rather disordered. As a first demonstration of the charge transporting properties of TH-PPV, a simple solution processed electroluminescent device has been prepared. The electroluminescence spectrum shows a detailed structure similar to that observed from the solid-state photoluminescence spectrum and shows one of the highest energy emissions observed for PPVs. It is speculated that the enhanced order in TH-PPV will benefit the usage of this new class of polymers in optoelectronic applications, in which the improved charge carrier mobility is desirable.

Graphical abstract: Tetra-alkoxy substituted PPV derivatives: a new class of highly soluble liquid crystalline conjugated polymers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Jan 2011
Accepted
24 Feb 2011
First published
28 Mar 2011

Polym. Chem., 2011,2, 1279-1286

Tetra-alkoxy substituted PPV derivatives: a new class of highly soluble liquid crystalline conjugated polymers

J. Vandenbergh, I. Van Severen, L. Lutsen, P. Adriaensens, H. J. Bolink, T. J. Cleij and D. Vanderzande, Polym. Chem., 2011, 2, 1279 DOI: 10.1039/C1PY00027F

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