Synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether imide)s with terminal amino groups

We synthesized an AB₂‐type monomer, 4‐{4‐[di(4‐aminophenyl)methyl]phenoxy}phthalic acid, which contained one phthalic acid group and two aminophenyl functionalities. The direct self‐polycondensation of the AB₂‐type monomer in the presence of triphenylphosphite as an activator afforded a hyperbranched poly(ether imide) with a large number of terminal amino groups. This polymer was characterized with ¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy. The degree of branching of the hyperbranched poly(ether imide) was approximately 56%, as determined by a combination of model compound studies and an analysis of ¹H NMR spectroscopy integration data. The terminal amino groups underwent functionalization readily. The solubility and thermal properties of the resulting polymers depended on the nature of the chain end groups. In addition, the hyperbranched poly(ether imide) was grafted with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the grafted POSS molecules aggregated to form a nanocomposite material. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3726–3735, 2003     

Synthesis of multiblock hyperbranched‐linear poly(ether sulfone) copolymers

Hyperbranched poly(ether sulfone) was prepared in the presence of an oligomeric linear poly(ether sulfone) to generate multiblock hyperbranched‐linear (LxHB) copolymers. The LxHB copolymers were prepared in a two‐step, one‐pot synthesis by first polymerizing AB monomer to generate a linear block of a desired molecular weight followed by addition of the AB₂ monomer in a large excess (19:1, AB₂:AB) to generate the hyperbranched block. NMR integration analysis indicates that AB₂:AB ratio is independent of the reaction time. Because the molecular weight still increases with reaction time, these results suggest that polymer growth continues after consumption of monomer by condensation into a multiblock architecture. The LxHB poly(ether sulfone)s have better thermal stability (10% mass loss > 343 vs. 317 °C) and lower T_g (200 vs. > 250 °C) than the hyperbranched homopolymer, higher T_g than the linear homopolymer (<154 °C), while little difference in the solubility character was observed between the two polymers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4785–4793, 2008     

Synthesis and properties of long‐chain branched poly(ether sulfone)s by self‐polycondensation of AB2 type macromonomers

Long‐chain branched poly(ether sulfone)s (PESs) were synthesized via self‐polycondensation of AB₂ macromonomers. The linear PES oligomers synthesized by self‐polycondensation of 4‐chloro‐4′‐(4‐hydroxyphenyloxy)diphenyl sulfone were terminated with 4‐(3,5‐methoxyphenoxy)‐4′‐fluorodiphenyl sulfone to form AB₂ macromonomer precursors. After conversion from methoxy to hydroxy groups, the AB₂ macromonomers were self‐polycondensed to form long‐chain branched PESs. NMR measurements support the formation of the target macromonomers ( = 2930–67,800 (g mol^?1); M_n = number average molecular weight) and long‐chain branched PESs. Gel permeation chromatography with multiangle light scattering measurements indicated the formation of high‐molecular‐weight (M_w) polymers over 10⁴. The root‐mean‐square radius of gyration (R_g) suggests that the shape of the long‐chain branched PES synthesized from small AB₂ macromonomers in solution is similar to that of hyperbranched polymers. Increasing resulted in larger R_g, suggesting a transition from hyperbranched to a linear‐like architecture in the resulting long‐chain branched PESs. Rheological measurements suggested the presence of strongly entangled chains in the long‐chain branched PES. Higher tensile modulus and smaller elongation at the break were observed in the tensile tests of the long‐chain branched PESs. It is assumed that the enhanced molecular entanglement points may act as physical crosslinks at room temperature. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1825–1831     

Synthesis of backbone thermo and pH dual‐responsive hyperbranched poly(amine‐ether)s through proton‐transfer polymerization

Stimuli‐responsive hyperbranched polymers have attracted great attention in recent years because of their wide applications in biomedicine. Through proton‐transfer polymerization of triethanolamine and 1,2,7,8‐diepoxyoctane with the help of potassium hydride, a series of novel backbone thermo and pH dual‐responsive hyperbranched poly(amine‐ether)s were prepared successfully in one‐pot. The degrees of branching of the resulting polymers were at 0.40–0.49. Turbidity measurements revealed that hyperbranched poly(amine‐ether)s exhibited thermo and pH dual‐responsive properties in water. Importantly, these responsivities could be readily adjusted by changing the polymer composition as well as the polymer concentration in aqueous solution. Moreover, in vitro evaluation demonstrated that hyperbranched poly(amine‐ether)s showed low cytotoxicity and efficient cell internalization against NIH 3T3 cell lines. These results suggest that these backbone thermo and pH dual‐responsive hyperbranched poly(amine‐ether)s are promising materials for biomedicine. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Hydroxyl‐terminated hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether‐ester)s: Synthesis,characterization, end‐group modification,and optical properties

Novel AB₂‐type monomers such as 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)benzoic acid ( monomer 1 ), methyl 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy) benzoate ( monomer 2 ), and 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)benzoyl chloride ( monomer 3 ) were synthesized. Solution polymerization and melt self‐polycondensation of these monomers yielded hydroxyl‐terminated hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether‐ester)s. The structure of these polymers was established using FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights (M_w) of the polymers were found to vary from 2.0 × 10³ to 1.49 × 10⁴ depending on the polymerization techniques and the experimental conditions used. Suitable model compounds that mimic exactly the dendritic, linear, and terminal units present in the hyperbranched polymer were synthesized for the calculation of degree of branching (DB) and the values ranged from 52 to 93%. The thermal stability of the polymers was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis, which showed no virtual weight loss up to 200 °C. The inherent viscosities of the polymers in DMF ranged from 0.010 to 0.120 dL/g. End‐group modification of the hyperbranched polymer was carried out with phenyl isocyanate, 4‐(decyloxy)benzoic acid and methyl red dye. The end‐capping groups were found to change the thermal properties of the polymers such as T_g. The optical properties of hyperbranched polymer and the dye‐capped hyperbranched polymer were investigated using ultraviolet‐absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5414–5430, 2008     

Synthesis of hyperbranched poly(ether nitrile)s by one‐step polycondensation of an AB2 monomer

Hyperbranched poly(ether nitrile)s were prepared from a novel AB₂ type monomer, 2‐chloro‐4‐(3,5‐dihydroxyphenoxy)benzonitrile, via nucleophilic aromatic substitution. Soluble and low‐viscous hyperbranched polymers with molecular weights upto 233,600 (M_w) were isolated. According to the ¹H NMR and GPC data, the unique polymerization behavior was observed, which implies that the weight average molecular weight increased after the number average molecular weight reached plateau region. Model compounds were prepared to characterize the branching structure. Spectroscopic measurements of the model compounds and the resulting polymers, such as ¹H, DEPT ¹³C NMR, and MS, strongly suggest that the ether exchange reaction and cyclization are involved in the propagation reaction. The side reactions would affect the unique polymerization behavior. The resulting polymers showed a good solubility in organic solvents similar to other hyperbranched aromatic polymers. The hydroxy‐terminated polymer was even soluble in basic water. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5835–5844, 2009     

One‐pot synthesis of hyperbranched glycopolymers by RAFT polymerization

Soluble hyperbranched glycopolymers were prepared by copolymerization of glycan monomers with reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) inimers in a simple one‐pot reaction. Two novel RAFT inimers, 2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl 4‐cyano‐4‐(phenylcarbonothioylthio)pentanoate (MAE‐CPP) and 2‐(3‐(benzylthiocarbonothioylthio)propanoyloxy)ethyl acrylate (BCP‐EA) were synthesized and used to prepare hyperbranched glycopolymers. Two types of galactose‐based saccharide monomers, 6‐O‐methacryloyl‐1,2:3,4‐di‐O‐isopropylidene‐D ‐galactopyranose (proGal‐M) and 6‐O‐(2′‐acrylamido‐2′‐methylpropanoate)‐1,2:3,4‐di‐O‐isopropylidene‐D ‐galactopyranose (proGal‐A), containing a methacrylate and an acrylamide group, respectively, were also synthesized and polymerized under the mediation of the MAE‐CPP and BCP‐EA inimers, respectively. In addition, hyperbranched poly(proGal‐M), linear poly(proGal‐A), and hyperbranched poly(proGal‐A) were generated and their polymerization kinetics were studied and compared. An unexpected difference was observed in the kinetics between the two monomers during polymerization: the relationship between polymerization rate and concentration of inimer was totally opposite in the two monomer–inimer systems. Branching analysis was conducted by using degree of branching (DB) as the measurement parameter. As expected, a higher DB occurred with increased inimer content. Furthermore, these polymers were readily deprotected by hydrolysis in trifluoroacetic acid solution resulting in water‐soluble polymers. The resulting branched glycopolymers have potential as biomimetics of polysaccharides. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Poly(aryl ether ketone)s with (3‐methyl)phenyl and (3‐trifluoromethyl)phenyl side groups

New bisphenol monomers, (3‐methyl)phenylhydroquinone and (3‐trifluoromethyl)phenylhydroquinone, were prepared in a two‐step synthesis. A series of poly(aryl ether ketone)s were derived from these bisphenols via a nucleophilic aromatic substitution polycondensation with various bisfluoro compounds. The polycondensation proceeded quantitatively in tetramethylene sulfone in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate and afforded the polymers with inherent viscosities of 0.63–0.91 dL/g. The fluorinated polymers showed lower glass‐transition temperatures and higher thermal‐decomposition temperatures than the corresponding nonfluorinated polymers. The solubility of the polymers was improved by the introduction of bulky pendant groups. All the polymers formed transparent, strong, and flexible films, with tensile strengths of 86.4–102.0 MPa, Young's moduli of 2.28–3.03 GPa, and elongations at break of 14–42%. All the polymers had low dielectric constants of 2.70–2.83 at 1 MHz. Compared with the methylated polymers, the trifluoromethylated polymers exhibited lower water sorption, which was attributed to the stronger hydrophobicity of the fluorine‐containing groups. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3392–3398, 2002     

Synthesis,characterization, and thermal properties of novel arylene sulfone ether polyimides and polyamides

A new aromatic sulfone ether diamine was synthesized by nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of 5‐amino‐1‐naphthol with bis(4‐chlorophenyl) sulfone in the presence of potassium carbonate in a polar aprotic solvent. Polycondensation reactions of the obtained diamine with pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), and hexafluoroisopropylidene diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) resulted in preparation of thermally stable poly(sulfone ether imide)s. Poly(sulfone ether amide)s also were prepared by reaction of the diamine with terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) and isophthaloyl chloride (IPC). The prepared monomer and polymers were characterized by conventional methods. Physical and mechanical properties of polymers, including thermal stability, thermal behavior, solution viscosity, solubility behavior, and modulus, also were studied. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1487–1492, 2000     

Hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether imide)s: Synthesis,characterization, and modification

The synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether imide)s are described. An AB₂ monomer, which contained a pair of phenolic groups and an aryl fluoro moiety activated toward displacement by the attached imide heterocyclic ring, was prepared. The nucleophilic substitution of the fluoride with the phenolate groups led to the formation of an ether linkage and, subsequently, to the hyperbranched poly(ether imide), which contained terminal phenolic groups. A similar one‐step polymerization involving a monomer that contained silyl‐protected phenols yielded a hyperbranched poly(ether imide) with terminal silylated phenols. The degree of branching of these hyperbranched polymers was approximately 55%, as determined by a combination of model compound studies and ¹H NMR integration experiments. End‐capping reactions of the terminal phenolic groups were readily accomplished with a variety of acid chlorides and acid anhydrides. The nature of the chain‐end groups significantly influenced physical properties, such as the glass‐transition temperature and the solubility of the hyperbranched poly(ether imide)s. As the length of the acyl chain of the terminal ester groups increased, the glass‐transition temperature value for the polymer decreased, and the solubility of the polymer in polar solvents was reduced, becoming more soluble in nonpolar solvents. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2536–2546, 2001     

Synthesis and characterization of new hyperbranched poly(aryl ether oxadiazole)s

A new AB₂ monomer was synthesized for use in the preparation of a hyperbranched poly(aryl ether oxadiazole) with terminal phenol functionality. The AB₂ monomer contains two phenolic groups and a single aryl fluoride group that is activated toward nucleophilic displacement by the attached oxadiazole ring. The nucleophilic substitution of the fluoride with the phenolate groups led to the formation of an ether linkage. Subsequently, a hyperbranched poly(aryl ether oxadiazole) having approximately a 44% degree of branching, as determined by a combination of model compound studies and ¹H NMR, was obtained. The terminal phenolic groups underwent facile functionalization, furnishing hyperbranched polymers with a variety of functional chain ends. The nature of the chain‐end groups had a significant influence on the physical properties of the polymers, such as the glass‐transition temperature and their solubility. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3851–3860, 2001     

含蒽醌结构聚芳醚砜的合成及表征

以4,4'-二氟二苯砜,4,4'-联苯二酚及1,5-二氯蒽醌为原料,采用亲核缩聚方法将具有良好热稳定性的蒽醌生色团分子以共价键方式引入到聚芳醚砜体系中,制备出了蒽醌含量分别为10%、20%及30%的热分解温度在500℃以上的新型耐高温有机高分子染料.该系列聚合物具有较高的分子量和良好的溶解性.利用红外光谱(FTIR)、核磁共振(1H-NMR)等表征方法确定了聚合物的结构;利用紫外-可见光谱测试(UV-Vis)初步研究了聚合物的光谱学特性;利用差示扫描量热测试(DSC)和热失重分析测试(TGA)研究了聚合物的热性能.     

A facile synthetic strategy for hyperbranched polymer via combining free radical telomerization and polycondensation

A facile strategy combining free radical telomerization and polycondensation to prepare hyperbranched polymers was developed. By selecting a suitable telogen and a vinyl monomer, the product obtained by telomerization could be regarded as an AB_n type monomer for preparing a hyperbranched polymer via conventional polycondensation. The principles for selecting vinyl monomers and telogens were proposed. The feed ratio of vinyl monomer to telogen was discussed in the theory. For demonstrating the strategy, methyl (meth)acrylate (MA or MMA) and 2‐mercaptoethanol were used as a vinyl monomer and a telogen, respectively. The two‐unit adduct of MA or MMA obtained after purifying was regarded as a model ABB′ monomer. The sequential transesterification demonstrated that the carboxylate group at the terminal unit has higher reactivity than that at penultimate unit because of the different substituents at the respective α‐positions, resulting in lower degree of branching (DB) of obtained polymer. As substitutes, 2‐hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate and thioglycolic acid were used as a vinyl monomer and a telogen, respectively. The results showed that the hyperbranched polymer obtained by using pseudo one‐pot approach had moderate DB. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7543–7555, 2008     

New hyperbranched second‐order nonlinear optical poly(arylene‐ethynylene)s containing pentafluoroaromatic rings as isolation group: Facile synthesis and enhanced optical nonlinearity through Ar‐ArF self‐assembly effect

In this article, a facile route was designed to prepare four new hyperbranched poly(arylene‐ethynylene)s containing azo‐chromophore moieties through one‐pot “A₂+B₃” approach via simple Sonogashira coupling reaction. The polymers were all soluble in organic solvents and demonstrated good nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, because of the three‐dimensional spatial isolation effect of these hyperbranched polymers. Due to the different B₃‐type comonomer, the self‐assembly effect of pentafluoroaromatic in the interior of these polymers were different, leading to the different trends of the NLO activities. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

含二氮杂荼酮结构新型聚芳醚系列高性能聚合物的合成与性能

从分子结构设计出发 ,以价廉易得的苯酚、苯酐为原料 ,经温和的工艺合成了结构全新的 4 ( 4′ 羟基苯基 ) 2 ,3 二氮杂萘 1 酮 (DHPZ) ,对其合成反应路线、合成反应动力学、反应机理进行了深入研究 .在大量实验研究基础上 ,结合分子立体结构的计算机模拟 ,确认其具有非共平面扭曲结构特征 ,其N—H键和O—H键具有类似的反应活性 ,是一种类似双酚的新单体 .以DHPZ与多种市售双卤单体如二氟二苯酮 (DFK)、二氯二苯砜 (DCS)、二氯二苯双酮 (DCKK)、二氯二苯腈 (DCBN)等经溶液亲核取代逐步聚合反应制得一系列含二氮杂萘酮结构的新型高性能聚醚砜 (PPES)、聚醚酮 (PPEK)、聚醚砜酮 (PPESK)、聚醚酮酮 (PPEKK)、聚醚砜酮酮(PPESKK)、聚醚腈酮 (PPENK)、聚醚腈砜 (PPENS)、聚醚腈砜酮 (PPENSK)等 ,对其结构进行了谱学表征 ,对其性能进行了全面测试 ,研究了其结构与性能关系 .谱学数据证明皆为无定型高聚物 .其玻璃化温度Tg 在 2 5 0～370℃之间 ,可以通过取代基团结构或主链上砜 酮基团比例进行调控 .在大量实验研究基础上 ,创造性提出“引入全芳环非共平面扭曲分子链结构赋予高聚物既耐高温又可溶解的优异综合性能”的分子结构设计理论 .在此分子设计理论指导下 ,设计并合成了含联苯二氮杂萘酮结构的新型二     

One‐pot synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched poly(ester‐amide)s from commercially available dicarboxylic acids and multihydroxyl secondary amines

A convenient and cost‐effective strategy for synthesis of hyperbranched poly(ester‐amide)s from commercially available dicarboxylic acids (A₂) and multihydroxyl secondary amine (CB₂) has been developed. By optimizing the conditions of model reactions, the AB₂‐type intermediates were formed dominantly during the initial reaction stage. Without any purification, the AB₂ intermediate was subjected to thermal polycondensation in the absence of any catalyst to prepare the aliphatic and semiaromatic hyperbranched poly(ester‐amide)s bearing multi‐hydroxyl end‐groups. The FTIR and ¹H NMR spectra indicated that the polymerization proceeded in the proposed way. The DBs of the resulting polymers were confirmed by a combination of inverse‐gated decoupling ¹³C NMR, and DEPT‐135 NMR techniques. The DBs of the hyperbranched poly(ester‐amide)s were in the range of 0.44–0.73, depending on the structure of the monomers used. The hyperbranched polymers exhibited moderate molecular weights with relatively broad distributions determined by SEC. All the polymers displayed low inherent viscosity (0.11–0.25 dL/g) due to the branched nature. Structural and end‐group effects on the thermal properties of the hyperbranched polymers were investigated using DSC. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the resulting polymers exhibit reasonable thermal stability. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5077–5092, 2008     

Synthesis and functionalization of poly(ether sulfone)s based on 1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxyphenyl)ethane

Branched poly(ether sulfone)s were prepared from 1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxyphenyl) ethane and 4,4′‐difluorodiphenyl sulfone (DFDPS) either by polycondensation in dimethyl sulfoxide with the elimination of water or via the silyl method in N‐methylpyrrolidone. With an exact 1/1 stoichiometry, crosslinking was avoidable, but significant fractions of cyclic oligomers and polymers were detected by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Furthermore, bridged cycles (bicycles) were detected. For the silyl method, even an excess of DFDPS of 10 mol % did not result in crosslinking. The pendant OH groups were modified by acylation with acetic anhydride, methacrylic anhydride, undecylenoyl chloride, or cinnamoyl chloride. Alkylation was only successful in a one‐pot procedure via the silyl method. Alkylbromide, ethyl bromoacetate, 3‐chloropropionitrile, 4‐nitrobenzyl bromide, and 3,4‐dichlorobenzyl chloride served as alkylating agents. With 1,3‐propane and 1,4‐butane sultone, poly(ether sulfone)s with pendant sulfonate groups were obtained. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2967–2978, 2002     

ABA triblock copolymers from two mechanistic techniques: Polycondensation and atom transfer radical polymerization

ABA triblock copolymers were synthesized using two polymerization techniques, polycondensation, and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). A telechelic polymer was synthesized via polycondensation, which was then functionalized into a difunctional ATRP initiator. Under ATRP conditions, outer blocks were polymerized to form the ABA triblock copolymer. Six types of samples were prepared based on a poly(ether ether ketone) or poly(arylene ether sulfone) center block with either poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(pentafluorostyrene), or poly(ionic liquid) outer blocks. As polycondensation results in polymers with broad molecular weight distribution (MWD), the center of these triblock copolymers are disperse, while the outside blocks have narrow MWD due to the control afforded from ATRP. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 228–238     

Aqueous developable dual switching photoresists for nanolithography

Photon‐mediated switching of polymer solubility plays a crucial role in the manufacture of integrated circuits by photolithography. Conventional photoresists typically rely on a single switching mechanism based on either a change in polarity or, molecular weight of the polymer. Here we report a photoresist platform that uses both mechanisms. The molecular weight switch was achieved by using a poly(olefin sulfone) designed to undergo photo‐induced chain scission. The polarity switch was achieved using pendant groups functionalized with o‐nitrobenzyl esters. These are hydrophobic photosensitive‐protecting groups for hydrophilic carboxylic acids. On irradiation, they are cleaved, making the polymer soluble in aqueous base. Importantly, the resists do not contain photoacid generator, so do not suffer from problems associated with acid diffusion that are detrimental to pattern fidelity. The 193 nm photochemistry of polymer thin films was followed using grazing angle attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, and measurements of solubility in aqueous base. The nanoscale patterning performance of the polymers was also assessed using 193 nm interference lithography and electron‐beam lithography. The implications of using dual switching mechanisms are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Design,synthesis, photophysical,and electrochemical properties of DCM‐based conjugated polymers for light‐emitting devices

A series of conjugated hyperbranched polymers, hyperbranched copolymers, and linear polymers containing 2‐pyran‐4‐ylidenemalononitrile (acceptor) and triphenylamine/fluorene (donor) units were synthesized and characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, thermogravimetric analyses, differential scanning calorimetry, gel permeation chromatography, UV–visible, photoluminescence, and cyclic voltammetry measurements. All the polymers show red‐light emission in the range of 566–656 nm both in solution and in solid state. The quantum efficiency of the polymers was in the range of 56–82%. Among the six polymers synthesized, only polymers containing fluorene units show T_g and polymers based on triphenylamine not exhibit T_g. The band gap of these polymers were found to be reasonably low; hyperbranched copolymer containing fluorene unit shows lowest band gap of 2.18 eV due to the stabilization of LUMO energy level by the electron withdrawing ? CN groups. The thermal and solubility behavior of the polymers were found to be good. All the EL spectra of the devices (indium‐tin oxide/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/polymer/2,9‐dimethyl‐4,7‐diphenyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline/tris(8‐hydroxyquinoline)aluminum)/LiF/Al) show red‐light emission, and the device fabricated with P3 and P4 shows maximum luminance and luminous efficiency of 4104 cd m^?2 and 0.55 cd Å^?1 and 3696 cd m^?2 and 0.47 cd Å^?1, respectively, indicates that they had the best carrier balance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012