Semiconducting polymers have various applications as lightweight active materials in optoelectronic technologies, including sensors, flexible electronics, and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, current state of the art polymers will contribute to global plastic pollution when distributed because they are not reusable, nor recyclable. Additionally, these polymers are typically synthesized through Stille or Suzuki cross-coupling polycondensations which create stoichiometric amounts of waste and toxic by-products. To minimize these issues, we synthesized building blocks with exploitable dynamic equilibria and polymerized them into degradable, yet functional, conjugated polymers through a green chemistry protocol. This type of simple and tailorable synthesis significantly reduces the amount of toxic waste generated by the production and use of conjugated organic polymers. Additionally, the recyclability and degradability of these polymers was monitored through UV-Vis absorbance and <sup>1</sup>H-NMR spectroscopy and shows full degradation within hours. This research has demonstrated that degradable conjugated polymers can be synthesized through green chemistry protocols leading to conjugated polymers with improved sustainability for the field of organic electronics.

Degradable conjugated polymers enabled via simple, tailorable, and sustainable synthesis

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