Modification of poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) with 1,3,4-oxadiazole units for electroluminescent devices

New copolymers of poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) modified with 2-(4-aminophenyl)-5-(biphenyl-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole and hexylamine were prepared. The copolymers, characterized by UV-vis and FT IR spectroscopy, reached 1.22 mol % of the oxadiazole units relative to anhydride groups at the maximum (PSMA-4). Electric and optical properties of the copolymers were studied. The currents obtained depend strongly on the content of oxadiazole units in the copolymers. Currents measured in PSMA-4 were more than two orders of magnitude higher than those measured in the copolymers without oxadiazole. Using polymer blends made of poly(9,9-dihexadecylfluorene-2,7-diyl) and PSMA-4, blue light-emitting devices were fabricated and their photoluminescence and electroluminescence spectra were measured.