Conjugated polymers represent a major class of functional materials with distinct optical, electronic, thermal and other properties from non-conjugated polymers. In an effort to develop synthetic materials that transduce mechanical force into multifold drastic changes in their intrinsic properties, we developed mechanochemically responsive insulating poly(ladderene) that unzips to form semiconductive polyacetylene via an extensive rearrangement of the macromolecular structure in response to force. The poly(ladderene) was synthesized by direct metathesis polymerization of ladderene and the mechanochemically formed polyacetylene exhibited remarkably long conjugation length and uniform <i>trans</i>-configuration and self-assembled into semiconducting nanowires, as indicated by several spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. This design opens new avenue in force-responsive materials for connecting mechanical inputs with distinct optical/electronic properties and rich functions of conjugated polymers.

Mechanochemical generation of semiconducting polyacetylene from insulating poly(ladderene)

254th National Meeting (2017)

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