Microparticle‐Supported Conjugated Polyelectrolyte Brushes Prepared by Surface‐Initiated Kumada Catalyst Transfer Polycondensation for Sensor Applications

A ‘grafting‐from’ approach to synthesize microparticle‐supported conjugated polyelectrolyte brushes is presented. Poly(3‐bromohexylthiophene) is selectively grown from monodisperse organosilica microparticles by surface‐initiated Kumada catalyst‐transfer polycondensation (SI‐KCTP) and then ionizable amino groups are introduced by a two‐step polymer analogous transformation. Optical properties of the resulting microparticle‐supported conjugated polyelectrolyte brushes were found to be dependent on the surrounding chemical environment and thus the particles are promising materials for sensor applications.