Catalyst-transfer polycondensation (CTP) is a synthetic tool used to prepare conjugated polymers via a chain growth mechanism. This methodology can produce semiconducting materials with predictable molecular weights, relatively narrow molar mass distributions and precise end groups. Additionally, this strategy can be used to make more complex macromolecular architectures with conjugated building blocks (e.g., block and gradient copolymers) . In this presentation, we will discuss some of our recent work on constructing conjugated polymers with well defined monomer compositions along the backbone using CTP (Figure). We will also discuss how these materials compare to random polymers with the same building blocks. Some time will also be dedicated to our work on furan and incorporating this building block into conjugated architectures. Furan is a highly attractive monomer for polymerization since it can be obtained from biomass. Furan-based materials also have a host of desirable properties as compared to their group 16 analogues including: increased solubility, higher fluorescence and a lower propensity to twist in the solid-state. While these features make furan an attractive precursor, only a few reports have discussed polyfurans in detail. Furan-based monomers can often present different synthetic challenges and there is significant suspicion that they are unstable.

Catalyst-transfer polycondensation for the controlled synthesis of conjugated polymers

256th National Meeting (2018)

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