Organic electronics often use conjugated polymers to enable optoelectronic activity. It is a common practice to modify a polymer with alkyl side chains that improve its solubility so that solution processing can be used to make solid state samples. While this approach has proven useful, it introduces some additional issues: i) if the device contains multiple layers, any solution based processing must not perturb already existing layers, and ii) the solubilizing side chains occupy space in the solid state with atoms that have no optoelectronic activity. Here we present conjugated oligomers and polymers that contain photocleavable solubilizing side chains, which enable direct spatiotemporal control over the solubility of the conjugated molecule. A range of nitrobenzyl ester-linked chains and nitrobenzyl ether-linked chains have been tested and shown to be effective photocleavable linkers in this application. Our demonstrated results in photocleaving solubilizing chains from thin film samples demonstrate potential applicability in multi-layer solid-state devices, and photolithographic applications. Our most recent progress has been toward improving the efficiency of the photocleavage reaction to remove the side chains, and developing donor-acceptor co-polymers containing photocleavable side-chains.

Polythiophenes with photocleavable side-chains

248th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.