Enhancement of electroluminescence intensity in poly(3-alkylthiophene) with different alkyl side-chain length by doping of fluorescent dye

Electroluminescent diodes utilizing poly(3-alkylthiophene) (PAT) containing fluorescent dyes have been fabricated and their unique enhancement of emission characteristics have been studied. Remarkable enhancement of the electroluminescence efficiency has been observed for diodes with PAT doped with oxadiazole derivative (2-(4-biphenylyl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole; PBD) and perylene derivative (N,N′ - Bis(2,5 - di - tert - butylphenyl) - 3,4,9,10 - perylenedi- carboximide; BPPC). The mechanism of emission enhancement by doping of PBD into PAT has been discussed with different alkyl side-chain lengths. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Three-dimensional packing structure and electronic properties of biaxially oriented poly(2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophene-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) films

We use a systematic approach that combines experimental X-ray diffraction (XRD) and computational modeling based on molecular mechanics and two-dimensional XRD simulations to develop a detailed model of the molecular-scale packing structure of poly(2,5-bis (3-tetradecylthiophene-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PBTTT-C(14)) films. Both uniaxially and biaxially aligned films are used in this comparison and lead to an improved understanding of the molecular-scale orientation and crystal structure. We then examine how individual polymer components (i.e., conjugated backbone and alkyl side chains) contribute to the complete diffraction pattern, and how modest changes to a particular component orientation (e.g., backbone or side-chain tilt) influence the diffraction pattern. The effects on the polymer crystal structure of varying the alkyl side-chain length from C(12) to C(14) and C(16) are also studied. The accurate determination of the three-dimensional polymer structure allows us to examine the PBTTT electronic band structure and intermolecular electronic couplings (transfer integrals) as a function of alkyl side-chain length. This combination of theoretical and experimental techniques proves to be an important tool to help establish the relationship between the structural and electronic properties of polymer thin films.     

Polarized fluorescence and electroluminescence from rubbing-aligned conjugated polymers and their composites with fluorescent dyes

Polarized fluorescence and optical absorption studies of rubbing-treated poly(2,5-diheptyloxybenzene) and poly (3-alkylthiophene)s (PATs) were carried out with the aim of obtaining polarized electroluminescence (EL). It was revealed that there exists an optimum alkyl chain length in PATs for the effect of rubbing. Polarized EL with a dichroic ratio of 2.6 was observed from a rubbing-aligned PAT-12 film. It was also demonstrated that the rubbing treatment of composite films of PAT and several fluorescent dyes such as 1,4-bis (2-methylstyryl)benzene enabled us to obtain polarized emission from oriented dye molecules. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conformational transitions and aggregations of regioregular polyalkylthiophenes

Diverse conformational transitions and aggregations of regioregular poly (3-alkylthiophene)s (PATs) in different environment have been studied by means of AFM and UV-vis-spectroscopy. In methanol, which is a non-solvent for both alkyl side groups and aromatic backbone at low polymer concentration, PATs chains fold into compact poorly ordered flat structures. At higher polymer concentration PATs molecules undergo 3D aggregation into near spherical particles. In hexane, which is a selective solvent for alkyl side chains, PATs molecules undergo ordered main-chain collapse followed by 1D aggregation. Concentration-independent red shift of λmax and good resolved fine vibronic structure in the electronic absorption spectra indicate that planarization occurs on the single-molecule level.     

Full verification of the liquid exclusion-adsorption chromatography theory using monolithic capillary columns

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) was used to separate alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs) as model diblock copolymers, with monolithic polymers as stationary phases. The order of elution indicate that the two polymer blocks follow distinct chromatographic modes: size-exclusion for the poly(oxyethylene) group and adsorption interaction for the alkyl part. Therefore, our experimental results were compared to the theory describing liquid exclusion-adsorption chromatography (LEAC). They were found in perfect agreement with the theory, which turned to be verified for the first time over the full range of polymer lengths.     

Control of chiral ordering in aggregated poly[3-(S)-[2-methylbutyl]thiophene] by a doping-dedoping process

The chiral ordering in aggregated poly(3-alkylthiophene) can be controlled by a metal salt-dependent doping-dedoping process. Enhancement or reduction in the chiral anisotropy factor depends on the doping level, such that doping driven by polymer-metal salt interactions, and dedoping driven by aggregate formation must be balanced in order to achieve maximal chiral ordering. This phenomenon provides a new basis to control chiral arrangement in conjugated polymer aggregates, relying solely on doping, and thus avoiding tedious modification of side-chain or main-chain structures.     

Effects of the alkyl side-chain length on the structures of poly[oxy(N-alkylsulfonylmethyl)ethylene]s

The structures of poly[oxy(N-alkylsulfonylmethyl)ethylene]s (ASE-Ns) were examined with X-ray, IR, DSC, and polarized optical microscopy. The structures of ASE-Ns were strongly dependent on the alkyl side-chain length. ASE-2 and ASE-3, the shortest ones, were amorphous materials. ASE-4 and ASE-5 showed nematic characteristics. ASE-6–ASE-12 had smectic A structures. ASE-14 and ASE-16 could be labeled as more ordered structures higher than smectic A (probably smectic B or smectic E). The d-spacings of the first small-angle reflections were double the most extended side-chain length and linearly increased with a slope of 2.50 Å per methylene unit, regardless of the structural phases. The maintenance of the double-layered structure in all ASE-Ns may be due to the strong dipole–dipole interactions at both sides of the layers against the main chain for all amorphous, nematic, and smectic phases of ASE-Ns. The double-layered structure was maintained above the isotropic temperature, indicating that dipole–dipole interactions were not destroyed although the alkyl side chains melted during the isotropic transition. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1868–1874, 2004     

Characterization and properties of a polythiophene with a malonic acid dimethyl ester side group

A new polythiophene derivative bearing a malonic acid dimethyl ester substituent attached to the 3-position of the repeat unit has been prepared by chemical oxidative-coupling polymerization. The chemical structure of poly(2-thiophen-3-yl-malonic acid dimethyl ester) has been analyzed by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and, additionally, the distribution of the head-to-tail and head-to-head diads arising from polymerization was found to be a 75-25%. The glass transition temperature identified for this polymer was 17.6 °C lower than that recently determined for a closely related polythiophene derivative, in which the ester substituent arose from acrylic acid rather than from malonic acid. On the other hand, the electrical conductivity of the new material, which was soluble in polar solvents but not in water, was higher than that typically found for poly(3-alkylthiophene) derivatives. Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations on simple model compounds were used to predict the regiochemistry of the polymer chain, which was in excellent agreement with the experimental observation, and the conformational preferences of both the inter-ring dihedral angle and the bulky side group. Interestingly, calculations predict that the inter-ring dihedral angles adopt a syn-gauche conformation rather than the anti-gauche arrangement typically found in substituted polythiophenes. Thus, in this case the former conformation reduces the strong repulsive interactions induced by the bulky substituent. The lowest π-π^∗ transition energy derived from calculations on an idealized molecular model is in agreement with the experimental estimation determined using UV-vis spectroscopy. This electronic property is significantly higher for poly(2-thiophen-3-yl-malonic acid dimethyl ester) than for other substituted polythiophene derivatives, which is consequence of the geometrical distortions induced by bulky side group.     

Synthesis and study of self-organization of organo-inorganic nanostructures based on cationic poly(meth)acrylates and molybdenum disulfide single layers

Poly(meth)acrylates of three types, namely, regular homopolymers containing side-chain tetraalkylammonium ionic groups with alkyl radicals of various lengths (C₆ and C₁₆), a copolymer with statistically distributed ionic and long-chain (C₁₈) alkyl groups, and a block copolymer of the same composition in which alkylammonium and alkyl groups are located in separate blocks, are synthesized with the use of controlled radical polymerization processes. The interaction of the polymers with molybdenum disulfide singlelayer dispersions yields self-organized organic-inorganic nanocomposites containing up to 40% polymer. As evidenced by powder X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy structural studies of the composites, they possess a crystalline layered structure with interlayer distances depending on the composition and structure of the polymer. Structures with the most regular alternation of organic and inorganic layers are formed in the case of homopolymers. The orientation of their alkylammonium fragments relative to MoS₂ layers depends on the length of the alkyl radical and corresponds to their parallel (C₆) or perpendicular (C₁₆) arrangement.     

A crystal transition in poly(γ-n-alkyl L-glutamate)s

A thermally reversible crystal transition was found for γ-helical poly(γ-n-alkyl L -glutamate)s (alkyl = ethyl, propyl, butyl, and amyl). The transition temperature is higher than that of the side-chain mechanical dispersion, and decreases from 115 to ?5°C, as the alkyl groups become longer. The transition in poly(γ-n-propyl L -glutamate) is clearly first order. The structures were analyzed by x-ray diffraction at various temperatures. It is noteworthy that the pseudohexagonal form observed below the transition temperature is less ordered than the hexagonal form at higher temperatures. The mechanism of this transition is discussed.     

Surface characteristics of polysulfoalkyl methacrylates

Coated hydroxyethyl methacrylate-sodium sulfoalkyl methacrylate copolymer films were surface characterized. The contact angle hysteresis increases and the receding angle decreases with increasing alkyl side-chain length, while the advancing angle decreases with hydration time. It was found that the buoyancy slopes of the advancing (r_a) and receding (r_r) process determined by the Wilhelmy plate method were not parallel. The ratio of r_a to r_r was greater than 1, and increases with the alkyl side-chain length and the hydration time, contrary to that of polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate, where r_a/r_r was less than 1. The slope ratio would be suppressed in solution with added salt, revealing that the reorientation and expansion of the polymer chain in water is being suppressed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the surface of these copolymers showed a striking enrichment of the sulfonate groups in the surface. The zeta potential was between −40 and −50 mV as measured by the streaming potential method. During dehydration, along with a decrease in sulfur and sodium concentration in the surface, the carbon 1s peak at the high binding energy decreased and the alkyl carbon main peak increased. The surface tension of aqueous solutions of sulfoalkyl methacrylate monomers and homopolymers decreases with increasing alkyl side-chain length, which may contribute to the decrease in water-polymer film interfacial tension and thus the increase in the slope ratio.     

Structural effects in poly(3-alkylthiophene)s on the exposition to poor solvent

The exposure to pentane vapour of poly(3-alkylthiophene)s with different alkyl chains produces a modification in the optical properties of the thin films. The treatment induces a red-shift of the electronic absorption maximum and the appearance of vibronic structure in the UV spectra. We have followed these changes with IR and Raman spectroscopies to monitor the modification of the backbone conjugation, and with X-ray diffraction to evidence the structural order of the chains.     

Measuring molecular order in poly(3-alkylthiophene) thin films with polarizing spectroscopies

We measured the molecular order of poly(3-alkylthiophene) chains in thin films before and after melting through the combination of several polarized photon spectroscopies: infrared (IR) absorption, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). The data from the various techniques can be uniformly treated in the context of the dielectric constant tensor epsilon for the film. The combined spectroscopies allow determination of the orientation distribution of the main-chain axis (SE and IR), the conjugated pi system normal (NEXAFS), and the side-chain axis (IR). We find significant improvement in the backbone order of the films after recrystallization of the material at temperatures just below the melting temperature. Less aggressive thermal treatments are less effective. IR studies show that the changes in backbone structure occur without significant alteration of the structure of the alkyl side chains. The data indicate that the side chains exhibit significant disorder for all films regardless of the thermal history of the sample.     

Identification of volatile products produced during the peroxide vulcanization of poly(vinyl alkyl ethers)

Volatile products are produced during vulcanization of the polymers of vinyl methyl, ethyl, isopropyl and n-butyl ethers with dicumyl peroxide, both in the presence and, absence of added sulfur. They were identified and estimated by gas-liquid chroma tography and mass spectrometry. The principal products formed during the vulcanization of poly(viny1 ethyl ether) with dicumyl peroxide were ethane and acetaldehyde and to a lesser extent methane. The addition of sulfur in the curing recipe resulted in a sharp increase in the proportion of ethyl alcohol, a large increase in methane, and a large decrease in ethane. The formation of these volatile products and the observed changes due to the presence of sulfur in the curing recipe can be accounted for on the basis of side-chain scission of the polymer radicals produced during vulcanization. The length and/or shape of the alkyl group in poly(viny1 alkyl ether) determine the composition of the volatile products. The data are in harmony with the postulated chemistry of vulcanization of these polymers.     

Construction of lamellar morphology by side-chain crystalline comb-like polymers for gas barrier

A comb-like polymer containing crystallized alkyl side chains and the intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the linking groups was fabricated by grafting long-chain fatty amine onto poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid)_n (P(S-AA)_n, wherein “n” denoted AA feed ratio). The chemical structures and crystallization behaviors of the comb-like polymer P(S-AA)_n-g(p) (wherein “p” denoted the number of side-chain carbon atoms) were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared, gel permeation chromatography, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometer, differential scanning calorimetry, atomic force microscopy, respectively. It was found that the lamellar morphology could be generated by controlling the grafting density and side chain length of P(S-AA)_n-g(p). Moreover, it was identified that the hydrogen bonds between amide groups could enhance the crystallinity and then adjust the interlamellar spacing of lamellar phase. As a result, P(S-AA)₇₀-g(18) with the highest degree of crystallinity and closely packed lamellar morphology showed a good gas-barrier performance, and the nitrogen permeability reached 1.78 × 10^?14 cm³·cm/cm²·s·Pa. Furthermore, the permeation switch of the obtained comb-like polymer could reach 500 times traversing the melting point.     

Dynamically Controllable Emission of Polymer Nanofibers: Electrofluorescence Chromism and Polarized Emission of Polycarbazole Derivatives

Electrochemical polymerization of a series of N‐alkyl‐2,7‐di(2‐thienyl)carbazoles in acetonitrile was performed to obtain conjugated polymers with fluorescence. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopies revealed that the surface morphology of the polymer films significantly depends on the alkyl chain lengths of the polymers. Particularly, a homopolymer bearing hexyl groups and copolymers with an average alkyl chain length of six carbon atoms show nanofiber morphology. The polymer nanofibers were stacked on a substrate electrode. The fluorescence of the polymer nanofiber film was tunable with application of voltage, with good repeatability. The X‐ray diffraction pattern of the fibers showed the structural order. The polymer nanofibers thus prepared showed an electrochemically driven change in polarized photoluminescence.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEWLY DESIGNED POLY[DI(ALKYL) VINYLTEREPHTHALATE]S

A series of newly designed monomers of 2-vinylterephthalates (VT) were synthesized. The monomers contain onephenylene group connected with two alkyl groups (carbon number varying from 1 to 6) via ester linkage. Their chemicalstructures were confirmed by mass spectroscopy (MS), ~1-H-NMR, and elemental analysis (EA). The corresponding polymers,poly[di(alkyl) vinylterephthalate]s (PDAVTs), were obtained using convenional free redical polymerization. The polymerswere found to be able to develop inio liquid crystalline phase when the size of the alkyl group in the side-chain increases tobe larger than the ethyl group.     

Conformational Properties of Comb-shaped Polyelectrolytes with Negatively Charged Backbone and Neutral Side Chains Studied by a Generic Coarse-grained Bead-and-Spring Model

A generic coarse-grained bead-and-spring model,mapped onto comb-shaped polycarboxylate-based(PCE)superplasticizers,is developed and studied by Langevin molecular dynamics simulations with implicit solvent and explicit counterions.The agreement on the radius of gyration of the PCEs with experiments shows that our model can be useful in studying the equilibrium sizes of PCEs in solution.The effects of ionic strength,side-chain number,and side-chain length on the conformational behavior of PCEs in solution are explored.Single-chain equilibrium properties,including the radius of gyration,end-to-end distance and persistenee length of the polymer backbone,shape-asphericity parameter,and the mean span dimension,are determined.It is found that with the increase of ionic strength,the equilibrium sizes of the polymers decrease only slightly,and a linear dependenew of the persistence length of backbone on the Debye screening length is found,in good agreement with the theory developed by Dobrynin.Increasing side-chain numbers and/or side-chain lengths increases not only the equilibrium sizes(radius of gyration and mean span)of the polymer as a whole,but also the persistence length of the backbone due to excluded volume interactions.     

Polymer Structure‐Guided Self‐Assisted Preparation of Poly(ester‐thioether)‐Based Hollow Porous Microspheres and Hierarchically Interconnected Microcages for Drug Release

Porous polymer microspheres (PPMs) have been widely applied in various biomedical fields. Herein, the self‐assisted preparation of poly(ester‐thioether)‐based porous microspheres and hierarchical microcages, whose pore sizes can be controlled by varying the polymer structures, is reported. Poly(ester‐thioether)s with alkyl side chains (carbon atom numbers were 2, 4, and 8) can generate hollow porous microspheres; the longer alkyl chain length, the larger pore size of microspheres. The allyl‐modified poly(ester‐thioether) (PHBDT‐g‐C₃) can form highly open, hierarchically interconnected microcages. A formation mechanism of these PPMs is proposed; the hydrophobic side chains‐mediated stabilization of oil droplets dictate the droplet aggregation and following solvent evaporation, which is the key to the formation of PPMs. The hierarchically interconnected microcages of PHBDT‐g‐C₃ are due to the partially crosslinking of polymers. Pore sizes of PPMs can be further tuned by a simple mixing strategy of poly(ester‐thioether)s with different pore‐forming abilities. The potential application of these PPMs as H₂O₂‐responsive vehicles for delivery of hydrophobic (Nile Red) and hydrophilic (doxorubicin hydrochloride) cargos is also investigated. The microspheres with larger pore sizes show faster in vitro drug release. The poly(ester‐thioether)‐based polymer microspheres can open a new avenue for the design of PPMs and provide a H₂O₂‐responsive drug delivery platform.     

新型p-/n-交替3-烷基噻吩共聚物的合成及其光电性质的研究

通过Heck偶合法合成了四种新型p-/n-交替3-烷基噻吩共聚物：聚(2,4-二乙烯基-3-己基噻吩-1,3,4-噁二唑) (P3HT-OXD)、聚(2,4-二乙烯基-3-辛基噻吩-1,3,4-噁二唑) (P3OT-OXD)、聚(2,4-二乙烯基-3-己基噻吩-吡啶) (P3HT-Py)、聚(2,4-二乙烯基-3-辛基噻吩-吡啶) (P3OT-Py)。利用NMR、GPC等方法对结构进行了分析表征。采用循环伏安法、紫外－可见吸收光谱法对该系列共聚物的光电性能进行了研究,结果表明：随着噻吩环3位取代烷基碳链的增长,聚合物电离能（Ip）减小,带隙能（Eg）也随之变窄,其中,P3OT-OXD的Eg比P3HT-OXD小0.11ev,P3OT-Py的Eg比P3HT-Py小0.19eV;而在3-烷基噻吩聚合物主链上引入吸电子能力较强的噁二唑单元,可有效提高共聚物电子亲合能（Ea）,对提高电子传输能力,改善电子与空穴注入平衡有积极作用