Rational design of diarylethylene-based polymeric semiconductors for high-performance organic field-effect transistors

Constructing planar, rigid, and high electronically delocalized π-conjugated molecular system is the most basic requirements of obtaining high-performance polymeric semiconductors for organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). In this regard, diarylethylene (DAE)-based polymers show great potential because many substantive progresses related to polymer field-effect transistors had been achieved from the kind of polymer materials in recent years. In the brief review, series of DAE-based polymer are highlighted, based on which several design strategies have been summarized by the way of comparative research method. These strategies have important guiding significance not only for further developing new DAE-based and other polymeric semiconductors for OFETs but also for developing specific polymeric semiconductors for other organic electronics, such as organic photovoltaics and organic light-emitting diodes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 585–603     

Diazaisoindigo bithiophene and terthiophene copolymers for application in field‐effect transistors and solar cells

Two donor–acceptor conjugated polymers with azaisoindigo as acceptor units and bithiophene and terthiophene as donor units have been synthesized by Stille polymerization. These two polymers have been successfully applied in field‐effect transistors and polymer solar cells. By changing the donor component of the conjugated polymer backbone from bithiophene to terthiophene, the density of thiophene in the backbone is increased, manifesting as a decrease in both ionization potential and in electron affinity. Therefore, the charge transport in field‐effect transistors switches from ambipolar to predominantly hole transport behavior. PAIIDTT exhibits hole mobility up to 0.40 cm²/Vs and electron mobility of 0.02 cm²/Vs, whereas PAIIDTTT exhibits hole mobility of 0.62 cm²/Vs. Polymer solar cells were fabricated based on these two polymers as donors with PC₆₁BM and PC₇₁BM as acceptor where PAIIDTT shows a modest efficiency of 2.57% with a very low energy loss of 0.55 eV, while PAIIDTTT shows a higher efficiency of 6.16% with a higher energy loss of 0.74 eV. Our results suggest that azaisoindgo is a useful building block for the development of efficient polymer solar cells with further improvement possibility by tuning the alternative units on the polymer backbone. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2691–2699     

A new polymer acceptor containing naphthalene diimide and 1,3,4‐thiadiazole for all‐polymer solar cells

A n‐type conjugated polymer containing naphthalene diimide (NDI) and 1,3,4‐thiadiazole (TZ) moieties, named PNTZ, has been synthesized and applied for all‐polymer solar cells (all‐PSCs). By the incorporation of TZ unit into the polymer main chains, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital level of this polymer has been adjusted effectively. In addition, the electron‐acceptor PNTZ shows a broad absorption spectrum in the range of 300–700 nm, and possesses complementary absorption spectrum with the electron‐donor PTB7‐Th. On the basis of PNTZ as the acceptor and PTB7‐Th as the donor, the all‐PSCs are fabricated. After optimization, the well blend morphologies with a continuous D/A interpenetrating network are observed and the best all‐PSC device exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 4.35% with a high short‐circuit current density of 13.26 mA cm^?2. This research demonstrates that the TZ‐containing polymer PNTZ is a promising non‐fullerene acceptor for high efficiency all‐PSCs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55 , 990–996     

Incremental optimization in donor polymers for bulk heterojunction organic solar cells exhibiting high performance

The power conversion efficiency of an organic solar cell has now exceeded the 10% mark, which is a significant improvement in the last decade. This has been made possible due to the development of low-band-gap polymers with tunable electron affinity, ionization potential, solubility, and miscibility with the fullerene acceptor, and the improved understanding of the factors affecting the critical device parameters such as the V_OC and the J_SC. This review examines the latest strategies, results, and trends that have evolved in the design of solar cells with better efficiency and durability. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Influence of fluorination on the microstructure and performance of diketopyrrolopyrrole‐based polymer solar cells

The solar cell performance and microstructure of DPP‐based polymers with different degrees of fluorination are reported. DPP‐based polymers with thiophene–phenyl–thiophene comonomer and thiophene flanking units are studied, with the degree of fluorination of the phenyl unit varied. With bifluorination of the phenyl ring, a higher open circuit voltage is achieved whilst maintaining or even improving the overall solar cell efficiency. While tetrafluorination leads to a further 0.1 V increase in V_OC, reaching a high photo voltage of 0.81 V, overall solar cell performance significantly drops. Microstructural studies using AFM, TEM, Grazing incidence wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (GIWAXS), and Resonant soft X‐ray scattering (R‐SoXS) reveal that bifluorination largely preserves the microstructure of the nonfluorinated system, whereas tetrafluorination results in coarse phase separation between the polymer donor and the fullerene acceptor. Our results demonstrate that the use of an extended comonomer is a promising strategy for optimizing the beneficial effects of fluorination for DPP‐based polymer solar cells, especially in improving the open circuit voltage. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 49–59     

Polymersomes as protocellular constructs

Despite the rapidly growing amount of knowledge on the structure and function of cells, they remain a distant bottom‐up synthetic target due to their overwhelming complexity. A path to this goal is the development of protocellular systems that approximate one or more aspects of a natural cell. Polymer vesicles, or polymersomes, are an attractive scaffold for protocellular constructs, due to our ability to engineer the polymer membrane and generate a wide range of properties. This article summarizes the current state of polymersome science with respect to the properties and functions that lend these polymer‐based systems to applications in synthetic cell research. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3817–3825     

Review on the Role of Polymers in Luminescent Solar Concentrators

The use of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) offers an alternative approach to integrating photovoltaic technologies into the built environment. The research on LSCs has bloomed in the past decade in terms of searching for novel device architectures, developing new luminescent species, and employing unique host materials. This article will provide a concise review on LSCs and focus on the polymer host materials used in LSCs. Finally, we provide a brief outlook on the future development of this research area, particularly on the polymers used as host materials and luminescent species for LSCs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 201–215     

Crystalline and active additive for optimization morphology and absorption of narrow bandgap polymer solar cells

The morphology of active layer with an interpenetrating network structure and appropriate phase separation is of great significance to improve the photovoltaic performance for polymer solar cells. A highly crystalline small molecule named DPP-TP6 was synthesized and incorporated into the narrow bandgap polymer solar cells to optimize the morphology of PTB7:PC₇₁BM active layer. The DPP-TP6 small molecule was demonstrated to enhance the light absorbance of active layer and play the role of energy cascade to increase the exciton separation and charge transfer. What's more, DPP-TP6 facilitated forming interpenetrating network structure and increasing the phase separation size of ternary blends. These phenomena lead to a higher hole mobility and a more balanced carrier mobility, so as to increase the power conversion efficiency to 7.85% at DPP-TP6 weight ratio of 8 wt %, comparing to the pristine PTB7:PC₇₁BM system of 6.50%. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 726–733     

A new quinoxaline and isoindigo based polymer as donor material for solar cells: Role of ecofriendly processing solvents on the device efficiency and stability

A new semiconducting polymer based on two different electron deficient (quinoxaline and isoindigo) and electron rich (benzodithiophene) moieties is synthesized, characterized and used as donor material for photovoltaic devices. Blade‐coated bulk heterojunction solar cells are fabricated in air by using chlorinated (o‐dichlorobenzene) and nonchlorinated (o‐xylene) solvents for the deposition of the active layer. The use of o‐xylene allows a ～10% improvement of the device efficiency in comparison to the analogous system processed from o‐dichlorobenzene. In addition, the evolution of the photovoltaic parameters of the resulting devices during thermal stress is monitored and compared, demonstrating a nearly identical resistance against temperature. The reported results not only highlight the promising properties of the new polymer in terms of environmental stability and compatibility with nonhalogenated solvents, but also show an easy and ecofriendly way to further improve the device performance without altering the corresponding thermal stability. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 234–242     

Bay‐annulated indigo based near‐infrared sensitive polymer for organic solar cells

A new conjugated polymer (PBAIIDTT) based on bay‐annulated indigo and indacenodithieno[3,2‐b]thiophene was designed, synthesized, and characterized. PBAIIDTT shows strong absorption in 400–500 and 600–800 nm, and its HOMO and LUMO energy levels are −5.45 eV and −3.65 eV, respectively. In organic field‐effect transistors, the polymer exhibits a relatively high hole mobility of 0.39 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. PBAIIDTT was added to poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM) based organic solar cells. Ternary blend solar cells with 10% PBAIIDTT show an increased short circuit current density due to the broadened photocurrent generated in the near‐infrared region, and a power conversion efficiency of 3.78%, which is higher than that of the P3HT:PC₆₁BM binary control devices (3.33%). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 213–220     

Lignin‐based polymers via graft copolymerization

Lignin is an important source of synthetic materials because of its abundance in nature, low cost, stable supply, and no competition to the human food supply. Lignin, a cross‐linked phenolic polymer, contains a large number of aromatic groups that can be used as a substitute for petroleum‐based aromatic fine chemicals. However, modification of lignin is necessary for its application in advanced materials due to its chemically inert nature and structural complexity. Polymeric modification of lignin via graft copolymerization represents an important avenue for modification because this method forms stable covalent bond linkages between lignin and synthetic functional polymers. In this review, we discuss recent synthetic strategies toward polymeric modification of lignin using graft copolymerization and the special properties and applications of the produced lignin copolymers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3515–3528     

Thiophene π bridge effect on bulky side‐chained benzodithiophene‐based photovoltaic polymers

Recently, we have used terthiophene side chain to modify benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene (BDT) to form novel building block for BDT polymers. In this paper, this building block is used to copolymerized with thieno[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐4,6‐dione (TPD) and thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene (TT). This building block and TPD‐ or TT‐based polymers (P1 and P3) show high open circuit voltage (V_OC) (ca. 0.9–0.95 V) and low energy loss (E_g–eV_OC) in solar cells devices compared with similar polymers without bulky side chain. We further introduce thiophene π bridge into these polymers backbone to form two other polymers (P2 and P4). We find this thiophene π bridge does contribute to this bulky side chained benzodithiophene polymer photovoltaic performances, especially for power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). The polymer solar cells (PSCs) performances are moderate in this article due to the serious aggregation in the PSCs active layer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1615–1622     

Grubbs-inspired metathesis in the Moore group

Alkene metathesis has proven to be a powerful method for carbon carbon bond formation, particularly in the field of polymer and materials science. The availability of various tailor-made catalysts not only enables the synthesis of well-defined polymers but facilitates the development of functional, stimuli–responsive materials. This highlight, dedicated to Professor Robert Grubbs on his 75th birthday, focuses on the various research efforts in our group utilizing both alkene and alkyne metatheses and the interesting materials derived from them. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2935–2948     

Established and emerging strategies for polymer chain-end modification

The development of “controlled” and “living” polymerization processes with high end-group fidelity has enabled an unprecedented range of polymeric materials with specific chain-end functionality to be prepared. This highlight provides an overview of available strategies and evaluation of recent approaches for the chain-end functionalization of polymers prepared through controlled chain-growth polymerizations. As a tribute to Professor Robert B. Grubbs on the occasion of his 75th birthday, we also take this opportunity to highlight methods for the chain-end modification of polymers prepared by ring-opening metathesis polymerization within the broader context of functional group tolerant, living polymerizations. Finally, we focus attention toward new directions in polymer chain-end modifications, describing existing gaps in current strategies, and detailing recently reported protocols that show significant improvements over traditional methods. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2903–2914     

Controlling supramolecular polymerization through multicomponent self‐assembly

The self‐assembly into supramolecular polymers is a process driven by reversible non‐covalent interactions between monomers, and gives access to materials applications incorporating mechanical, biological, optical or electronic functionalities. Compared to the achievements in precision polymer synthesis via living and controlled covalent polymerization processes, supramolecular chemists have only just learned how to developed strategies that allow similar control over polymer length, (co)monomer sequence and morphology (random, alternating or blocked ordering). This highlight article discusses the unique opportunities that arise when coassembling multicomponent supramolecular polymers, and focusses on four strategies in order to control the polymer architecture, size, stability and its stimuli‐responsive properties: (1) end‐capping of supramolecular polymers, (2) biomimetic templated polymerization, (3) controlled selectivity and reactivity in supramolecular copolymerization, and (4) living supramolecular polymerization. In contrast to the traditional focus on equilibrium systems, our emphasis is also on the manipulation of self‐assembly kinetics of synthetic supramolecular systems. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 34–78     

Conjugated polymer with rigid donor poly(para‐divinylphenylamino) backbone and pendant cyanoacetic acid acceptor for dye sensitized solar cells

A donor backbone [poly(para‐divinylphenylamino)]‐acceptor (cyanoacetic acid side group) type conjugated polymer ( P2 ) has been synthesized and used as the active material for dye‐sensitized solar cells. DFT calculation shows that the insertion of vinyl link in the polymer backbone leads to a planar structure in P2 and changes the excited state significantly. Photoelectrochemical cells based on the DSSC format were fabricated using the polymers as sensitizers. The cell constructed using P2 exhibits a considerably high peak IPCE and J‐V response, with an overall power conversion efficiency of 3.67%. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2958–2965     

Synthesis and characterization of arylenevinylenearylene–naphthalene diimide copolymers as acceptor in all–polymer solar cells

Two n‐type conjugated D‐A copolymers, P(TVT‐NDI) and P(FVF‐NDI) with thienylene‐vinylene‐thienylene (TVT) or furanylene‐vinylene‐furanylene (FVF) as donor (D) units and naphthalene diimide (NDI) as the acceptor (A) units, were synthesized by the Stille coupling copolymerization. The two polymers possess good solubility, high thermal stability, and broad absorption bands with absorption edges at 866 nm for P(TVT‐NDI) and 886 nm for P(FVF‐NDI) . The LUMO energy levels of P(TVT‐NDI) and P(FVF‐NDI) are ?3.80 eV and ?3.76 eV respectively, so the two polymers are suitable for the application as acceptor in blending with most polymer donor in PSCs based on the energy level matching point of view. All polymer solar cells (all‐PSCs) were fabricated with P(TVT‐NDI) or P(FVF‐NDI) as acceptor and medium bandgap polymer J51 as donor for investigating the photovoltaic performance of the two n‐type conjugated polymer acceptors. And higher power conversion efficiency of 6.43% for P(TVT‐NDI) and 5.21% for P(FVF‐NDI) was obtained. The results indicate that arylenevinylenearylene–naphthalene diimide copolymer are promising polymer acceptor for all–PSCs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 1757–1764     

Mechanical and viscoelastic properties of confined amorphous polymers

Confinement of polymers to nanoscale dimensions can dramatically impact their physical properties. Substantial efforts have focused on the glass transition temperature (T_g) of polymers confined to thin films, but their mechanical properties are less studied despite their technological importance. In this review, challenges with mechanical measurements of polymer thin films are discussed along with novel metrologies that provide insight into their mechanical properties. A comparison of experimental measurements, simulations and theory provide several general conclusions about the mechanical properties under confinement. Confinement impacts the elastic modulus, rubbery compliance and viscosity of polystyrene, the archetypal polymer for confinement, but the confinement effect appears to depend on the measurement technique. This effect may be due to the details of averaging of gradients in properties that are dependent on the measurement details. Routes to minimize confinement effects are addressed. Despite progress in the measurements of mechanical properties of polymer thin films, there remain unresolved questions about the impact of confinement, which we highlight at the end of this review. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 9–30     

Superhydrophobic polymer multilayers for the filtration- and absorption-based separation of oil/water mixtures

We report layer-by-layer approaches to the design of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic substrates for the filtration- or absorption-based separation of bulk oil from oil/water mixtures. Fabrication of covalently cross-linked, nanoporous polymer multilayers on mesh substrates yielded superhydrophobic and superoleophilic porous media that allow oil to pass, but completely prevent the passage of bulk water. This approach can be used to promote the filtration of oil/water mixtures, and these film-coated substrates can be bent and physically manipulated without affecting oil- and water-wetting properties. Fabrication on three-dimensional macroporous polymer pads yielded flexible objects that float on water and absorb oil at contaminated air/water interfaces. This approach permits oil to be recovered by squeezing or rinsing with solvent and the reuse of these materials without decreases in performance. These pads can also absorb oil from simulated seawater, brine, and other media representative of marine or industrial contexts where oil contamination can occur. Our results address issues associated with the design of polymer-based coatings for the separation, removal, and collection of oil from oil-contaminated water. With further development, this approach could provide low-energy alternatives to conventional remediation methods or yield new strategies that can be implemented in ways that are impractical using current technologies. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3127–3136     

A low bandgap polymer based on isoindigo and bis(dialkylthienyl)benzodithiophene for organic photovoltaic applications

A new conjugated polymer PBDTT‐ID based on N‐alkylated isoindigo (ID) and bis(2,3‐dialkylthienyl)‐substituted benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene (BDTT) as repeating units was synthesized. It had an optical bandgap of 1.56 eV and a highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of ?5.71 eV. The optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties of new polymer were compared with previous reported polymer PBDT‐ID , which was based on bis(alkoxy)‐substituted benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene. The new polymer displayed lower HOMO energy level and better absorption properties than polymer PBDT‐ID . The solar cells fabricated with PBDTT‐ID /PC₆₁BM (1:2, w/w) blends as active layers exhibited photoresponse in the range of 300–800 nm. A power conversion efficiency of 4.02% and an open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.94 V were achieved in polymer solar cell device based on the new polymer. This was the highest V_oc realized among the isoindigo‐based polymers. The relatively high performances of new polymer in solar cell devices were interpreted in terms of material properties and morphologies of polymer/PCBM blends. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013