Synthesis and characterization of chiral polymer complexes incorporating polybinaphthyls,bipyridine, and Eu(III)

Chiral conjugated polymers P‐1 and P‐2 were synthesized by the polymerization of (S)‐3,3′‐diiodo‐2,2′‐bisbutoxy‐1,1′‐binaphthyl and (S)‐6,6′‐dibromo‐2,2′‐bisbutoxy‐1,1′‐binaphthyl, respectively, with 5,5′‐divinyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine through a Heck cross‐coupling reaction. Chiral polymer complexes P‐C‐1 and P‐C‐2 were obtained by the bipyridine chelating coordination of P‐1 and P‐2 with Eu(TTA)₃·2H₂O (where TTA is 2‐thenoyltrifluoroacetonate). Polymers P‐1 and P‐2 and polymer complexes P‐C‐1 and P‐C‐2 exhibited intense circular dichroism signals, with negative and positive Cotton effects in their circular dichroism spectra. The chiral polymers showed strong green‐blue fluorescence because of the efficient energy migration from the extended π‐electronic structure of the conjugated polymer main to the chiral binaphthyl core. The chiral polymer complexes could have not only polymer fluorescence but also the characteristic fluorescence of Eu(III) (⁵D₀→⁷F₂) at a different excited wavelength. These kinds of chiral polymer complexes incorporating polybinaphthyls, bipyridine, and Eu(III) moieties are expected to provide an understanding of the relationship between the structure and properties of chiral polymer complexes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 650–660, 2007