Macromolecular Rapid Communications, Vol.30, No.14, 1249-1257, 2009
Polymerizable Well-Defined Oligo(thiophene amide)s and their ROMP Block Copolymers
We report the synthesis of conjugated thiophene amide oligomers that constitute a new class of chromophores with potential for optoelectronic applications. The synthesis of defined norbornene-substituted oligothiophene amides using conventional coupling chemistry is described. Their electronic properties depend on the degree of oligomerization as UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrate. A significant red shift in the spectra upon an increase in the oligomer length evidences conjugation of the thiophene rings via the amide linkages. ROMP of the norbornene-substituted oligomers gives homopolymers and block-copolymers with a solubilizing second block. The amphiphilic character of the block copolymers is used to study micellization and bulk self-organization.
Keywords:block copolymers;conjugated polymers;fluorescent polymers;gewald synthesis;ring-opening metathesis polymerization