Optical properties of the photorefractive polymeric composite with modified PVK polymer

Poly[N‐(2‐ethylhexyl)‐3‐vinylcarbazole has been synthesized by radical polymerization from N‐(2‐ethylhexyl)3‐vinyl‐carbazole. The 50‐μm thick photorefractive device containing 30 wt % piperidin‐4‐ylbenzylidene‐malononitrile showed a diffraction efficiency of 40% of 50 V/μm, which corresponded to a Δn of 0.8 × 10^?3. The photorefractive response time was τ₁ = 0.6 s. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1695–1702, 2009     

Lessons learned from research on photorefractive polymers and molecular materials

Organic photorefractive (PR) materials are a new kind of electrooptic substance that emerged 10 years ago. These are very complicated materials that possess both electrooptic effects and photoconductivity. It is challenging to integrate these properties into a single polymer system that will exhibit this PR effect. This article highlights our efforts in the past nine years in synthesizing and characterizing fully functionalized organic PR materials. I emphasize the lessons we have learned from this research, which may be more valuable to those who are interested in this area. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2557–2564, 2001     

Preparation and characterization of polymers with oxadiazole on the side chain

Three styrene-type monomers having an oxadiazole group were prepared. The monomers were polymerized by a radical initiator into high molecular weight polymer. Polymers were soluble in many organic solvents such as chloroform, benzene and tetrahydrofuran. Polymer films were amorphous and transparent and showed no change after several months of preparation. The polymer had two reduction potentials around −2 V versus Ag/AgCl electrode. The polymer film dispersed with N,N,N′, N-tetraphenyldiaminobiphenyl (TPD) showed electroluminescence due to the exciplex with TPD. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and properties of novel σ–π alternating polymers with triphenylamine and organosilicon units

We have synthesized novel σ–π conjugated polymers with N,N‐bis(p‐ethynylphenyl)‐N‐(p‐tolyl)amine as the π‐unit. The electroluminescent devices, with a double‐layer system composed of Alq and the present polymers as the emitting‐electron‐transporting and hole‐transporting layers respectively, emit green electroluminescence with a maximum intensity of 760 cd m^?2. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of amorphous polymers based on dithienylbenzothiadiazole‐triphenylamine with hexyl side chains on different positions of thienyl groups

We synthesized and characterized three new amorphous dithienylbenzothiadiazole (TBT)‐triphenylamine (TPA) polymers for application in bulk‐heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. Poly(3HTBT‐TPA) has hexyl side chains on the thienyl groups (pointing toward the benzothiadiazole (BTD) unit), and poly(4HTBT‐TPA) has hexyl side chains on the thienyl groups (pointing outward from the BTD unit). The incident photon to current conversion efficiencies (IPCEs) in the region from 550 to 650 nm for the OPV cells prepared using poly(4HTBT‐TPA) were higher than those for the OPV cells prepared using poly(3HTBT‐TPA) because the absorption spectrum for the poly(4HTBT‐TPA) has a slightly red‐shifted absorption edge. We also demonstrated that the poly(4HTBT‐TPA)‐based OPV performance is independent of the fabrication process, so using an amorphous film to fabricate BHJ OPV cells offers great advantages over using a polycrystalline film in terms of the high reproducibility of the OPV performance. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2536–2544     

Synthesis and characterization of halogen-containing ferroelectric liquid crystals and side chain liquid crystalline polymers

A new series of ferroelectric liquid crystals and side chain liquid crystalline polymers based on halogen-containing chiral centres has been synthesized. Chemical structures were analysed by NMR. Liquid crystal phases were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarizing microscopy, and X-ray diffractometry. The behaviour of the liquid crystalline phases was investigated as a function of spacer units and differing terminal asymmetric moieties. It was found that phase transition temperatures decreased with increasing length of the oligooxyethylene spacer unit. Differing terminal asymmetric moieties led to differing mesophase phenomena. Furthermore, a wide temperature range (including room temperature) of a chiral smectic C phase was achieved.     

Synthesis and electrooptic properties of side‐chain methacrylate polymers containing a new azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore

The synthesis and characterization of four methacrylate copolymers obtained by radical addition polymerization of methyl methacrylate as well as a new methacrylate azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore in percentages of 10, 30, 50, and 70% were explored. The copolymers were amorphous and showed glass‐transition temperatures ranging from 132 to 146 °C. High‐quality polymer films were easily obtained by spin coating from N‐methylpyrrolidone solutions. Polymer films spun cast on iridium tin oxide (ITO) substrates were used in the electro‐optic (EO) experiments to evaluate the EO coefficients r₃₃ using the reflection technique. The measured values fell in the range of 1.7–3.7 pm/V (laser incident wavelength of 1.552 μm) depending on the percentage of chromophore in the polymer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1162–1168, 2001     

New hydrocarbon side chain liquid crystalline polysiloxane polymers: Synthesis,characterization, and thermotropic behavior

A series of new and high-purity hydrocarbon liquid crystal monomers were synthesized through the acylation reaction, deoxygenation reaction, and Grignard reaction. ¹H-NMR spectra and elemental analyses were used to examine their purity. The liquid crystalline polysiloxane polymers were obtained by grafting the monomers onto poly(methylhydrosiloxane). The thermal transition temperature, mesomorphic properties, and mesophase textures of the monomers and the polymers were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (dsc), polarized optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Moreover, we observed the even–odd effect of the smectic/isotropic transition temperature with the length variation of the substituents. In this study, we found by X-ray diffraction that the liquid crystalline polysiloxane polymers undergo a transition from smectic B to smectic E mesophase. However, dsc has difficulty detecting the phase transition process. By considering the spin–lattice relaxation time (T₁), we can systematically explain the relation between the flexibility of the substituent with the smectic/isotropic transition temperature. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2849–2863, 1998     

Synthesis of novel side‐chain triphenylamine polymers with azobenzene moieties via RAFT polymerization and investigation on their photoelectric properties

Two novel and well‐defined polymers, poly[6‐(5‐(diphenylamino)‐2‐((4‐methoxyphenyl)diazenyl)phenoxy)hexyl methacrylate] (PDMMA) and poly[6‐(4‐((3‐ethynylphenyl)diazenyl) phenoxy)hexyl methacrylate] (PDPMMA), which bear triphenylamine (TPA) incorporated to azobenzene either directly (PDMMA) or with an interval (PDPMMA) as pendant groups were successfully prepared via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization technique. The electrochemical behaviors of PDPMMA and PDMMA were investigated by cyclic voltammograms (CV) measurement. The hole mobilities of the polymer films were determined by fitting the J‐V (current‐voltage) curve into the space‐charge‐limited current method. The influence of photoisomerization of the azobenzene moiety on the behaviors of fluorescence emission, CV and hole mobilities of these two polymers were studied. The fluorescent emission intensities of these two polymers in CH₂Cl₂ were increased by about 100 times after UV irradiation. The oxidation peak currents (I_OX) of the PDMMA and PDPMMA in CH₂Cl₂ were increased after UV irradiation. The photoisomerization of the azobenzene moiety in PDMMA had significant effect on the electrochemical behavior, compared with that in PDPMMA. The changes of the hole mobility before and after UV irradiation were very small for both polymers. The HOMO energies (E_HOMO, HOMO: the highest occupied molecular orbital) of side chain moieties of TPA incorporated with cis‐isomer and trans‐isomer of azobenzene in PDMMA and PDPMMA were obtained by theoretical calculation, which are basically consistent with the experimental results. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis and characterization of novel electroactive polyamides and polyimides with bulky 4‐(1‐adamantoxy)triphenylamine moieties

A novel adamantoxytriphenylamine‐containing diamine monomer, 4‐(1‐adamantoxy)‐4′,4″‐diaminotriphenylamine, was synthesized from readily available reagents. Two series of novel electroactive aromatic polyamides and polyimides with bulky 4‐(1‐adamantoxy)triphenylamine moieties were prepared from the newly synthesized diamine monomer with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids and tetracarboxylic dianhydrides, respectively. All the resulting polyamides and most of the polyimides were readily soluble in polar organic solvents and could be solution cast into tough and flexible films. These polymers showed moderate to high glass transition temperatures in the range of 263–311 °C, and they were fairly stable up to a temperature above 480 °C (for polyamides) or 500 °C (for polyimides). Cyclic voltammograms of the polyamides and polyimides showed one pair of reversible redox waves with oxidation half‐wave potentials (E_1/2) in the range of 0.78–0.81 and 0.97–1.05 V, respectively, versus Ag/AgCl in an acetonitrile solution. In addition, the polymers were found to display stable electrochromic properties by repeated cyclic scans between 0.0 and 1.1–1.2 V, with coloration change from a colorless or pale yellowish neutral form to a dark blue or bluish green oxidized form. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 1740–1755, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of side chain cholesteric liquid crystalline polymers containing isosorbide as a chiral centre

A series of new side chain cholesteric liquid crystalline polysiloxanes was synthesized by grafting copolymerization of a mesogenic monomer (M₁) and a chiral monomer (M₂). The chemical structures of the monomers and polymers obtained were confirmed by FTIR, and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The mesomorphic properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The influence of the content of the chiral unit on phase behaviour of the polymers is discussed. Monomer M₁ showed nematic and smectic phases on cooling. The polymers P₁ and P₂ showed a nematic phase, P₃-P₅ showed cholesteric Grandjean texture, and P₆ and P₇ exhibited smectic short-rod texture. The polymers containing more than 7.2 mol % and less than 28.6 mol % of the chrial unit showed an induced cholesteric phase. Experimental results demonstrated that the glass transition, melting and clearing temperatures decreased with increasing content of the chiral unit.     

侧链可降解聚硅氧烷的合成及其膜性能

以乳酸和聚乙二醇为原料,直接缩聚法制备出聚乳酸-聚乙二醇可降解嵌段共聚物,再将烯丙基缩水甘油醚和所得的嵌段共聚物在锌粉的作用下得到带有α烯基反应性官能团的大分子单体,然后在铂催化剂的作用下,合成了一种带有可降解侧链的亲水性聚硅氧烷(PDMS-g-PLA-PEG).对产物的结构、相对分子质量及其分布、热性能及成膜的表面性能等进行了研究.结果表明,由于分子链中硅氢键分布的不均匀性和聚乳酸-聚乙二醇共聚物分子量分布的不均一性,产物的分子量分布相对较宽,达到了1.87.由于聚乳酸-聚乙二醇共聚物侧链逐渐降解,所以PDMS-g-PLA-PEG所成的膜与水的接触角将随着时间的延长而逐渐增大,30天后从42°增至92°.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel crosslinkable polymers with a nonlinear optical chromophore as a pendant group

New crosslinkable polymers with a nonlinear optical (NLO) active chromophore as a pendant group were synthesized by condensation chain polymerization via palladium‐catalyzed carbon–carbon coupling reactions. The polymerization yields were almost quantitative between the diiodobenzene (DIB) and diethyldipropargyl malonate (DEDPM) or 4‐(dimethylamino)‐4′‐(6‐dipropargylacetoxypropylsulfonyl)stilbene (DASS‐6) monomers. To improve the molecular weight and mechanical properties of the NLO active polymer, we carried out the copolymerization with DIB and DASS‐6 with various feed ratios of DEDPM. The resulting polymers were soluble in organic solvents and spun‐cast onto indium tin oxide‐coated glass substrates to make thin films. The molecular structures of the resulting polymers were characterized with various instrumental methods to confirm the carbon–carbon coupling reactions between the DIB and diacetylene monomers. The absorption of the ultraviolet–visible spectrum of the resulting polymers was drastically reduced after thermal curing at 160 °C because of the crosslinking of the reactive acetylene group in the polymer backbone. The electrooptic coefficient (r₃₃) measured at 1.3 μm ranged from 7 to 15 pm/V. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 4025–4034, 2001     

Synthesis and characterization of organometallic conjugated polymers containing tricarbonyl(arene)chromium unit and platinum

Novel organometallic conjugated polymer containing (η⁶-arene)Cr(CO)₃ and platinum in the main chain was synthesized by dehydrohalogenation coupling reaction of (η⁶-1,4-diethynylbenzene)tricarbonylchromium with trans-(PBu₃)₂PtCl₂. The polymer was soluble in common organic solvents and has the number-average molecular weight of 31,000 by GPC analysis. The polymer exhibited an absorption peak derived from π-π^∗ interaction at 358 nm in the UV-Vis spectrum, which showed a red shift of approximately 90 nm compared to that of the model compound. The photochemical ligand exchange reaction of the polymer was also investigated.     

Synthesis,characterization, and electroluminescence of new conjugated PPV derivatives bearing triphenylamine side‐chain through a vinylene bridge

Three new conjugated poly(p‐phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivatives bearing triphenylamine side‐chain through a vinylene bridge, poly(2‐(4′‐(diphenylamino)phenylenevinyl)‐1,4‐phenylene‐vinylene) (DP‐PPV), poly(2‐(3′‐(3″,7″‐dimethyloctyloxy)phenyl)‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene‐alt‐2‐(4′‐ (diphenylamino)phenylenevinyl)‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene) (DODP‐PPV), and poly(2‐(4′‐(diphenylamino)phenylenevinyl)‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene‐co‐2‐(3′,5′‐bis(3″,7″‐dimethyloctyloxy)‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene) (DP‐co‐BD‐PPV), were synthesized according to the Gilch or Wittig method. Among the three polymers, the copolymer DP‐co‐BD‐PPV is soluble in common solvents with good thermal stability with 5% weight loss at temperatures higher than 386°C. The weight‐average molecular weight (M_w) and polydispersity index (PDI) of DP‐co‐BD‐PPV were 1.83 × 10⁵ and 2.33, respectively. The single‐layer polymer light‐emitting diodes (PLEDs) with the configuration of Indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly (3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(4‐styrene sulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)/DP‐co‐BD‐PPV/Ca/Al were fabricated. The PLED emitted yellow‐green light with the turn‐on voltage of ca. 4.9 V, the maximum luminance of ca. 990 cd/m² at 15.8 V, and the maximum electroluminescence (EL) efficiency of 0.22 cd/A. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of conjugated polymers based on a dithienobenzimidazole unit in the main chain

Three conjugated polymers with the dithienobenzimidazole (DTBIm) unit ( P1 , P3 , and P4 ) and one conjugated polymer with the dithienobenzoxazole unit ( P2 ) were synthesized by the cross‐coupling polymerization. The absorption maxima showed a red‐shift in the order of P3 (406 nm), P2 (426 nm), P1 (438 nm), and P4 (450 nm), which was studied in detail using the frontier molecular orbital calculation of the model compounds. The energy levels of the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the DTBIm unit‐containing conjugated polymers were estimated by the cyclic voltammetry. The transformation from DTBIm ( P4 ) to dithienobenzimidazolium ( P4' ) was also carried out to shift the absorption maxima of P4' (454 nm) by promoting the intramolecular charge transfer between the DTBIm and thiophene units. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 401–409