Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
09:22
Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
Poly(pyridinium phenylene)s: water-soluble N-type polymers
Daisuke Izuhara1, Timothy M Swager
1Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|November 21, 2009
Summary
New poly(pyridinium phenylene) conjugated polymers exhibit high conductivity (160 S/cm) and water solubility. Their planar structure and electron transfer capabilities suggest potential applications in photovoltaic devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Organic Electronics
Background:
- Conjugated polymers are crucial for organic electronics.
- Developing new n-type conjugated polymers with high conductivity and processability remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel poly(pyridinium phenylene) conjugated polymers.
- To investigate their electrochemical properties, conductivity, and potential for photovoltaic applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis via cross-coupling and cyclization.
- Measurement of in situ conductivity upon reduction (n-doping).
- Comparison of electron affinities with standard n-type materials like PCBM.
Main Results:
- Achieved high in situ conductivities up to 160 S/cm.
- Demonstrated water solubility and high electroactivity.
- Exhibited excited state electron transfer with donor conjugated polymers.
Conclusions:
- The planar structure enforced by cyclic units contributes to high conductivity.
- These novel polymers show promise as n-type materials for organic photovoltaic devices.
Related Concept Videos
01:00Characteristics and Nomenclature of Homopolymers
Polymers that are made up of identical monomer units are called homopolymers. Only one repeating unit is involved in the construction of the homopolymer structure. For example, as depicted in Figure 1, polypropylene is a homopolymer constituted of propylene monomers. Here, the only repeating unit in the polymer chain is propylene.
01:20Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...
02:34Polymers
The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the properties that they exhibit. Additionally,...
01:14Polymer Classification: Architecture
Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...
01:24Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers
Copolymers are the products obtained from the polymerization of multiple monomer species. So, in a polymer chain itself, there can be multiple repeating units that come from different monomers. The process of synthesizing a polymer from different monomer species is called copolymerization. When two monomers are involved, the polymer is known as a bipolymer. Polymers with three and four monomers are termed terpolymers and quaterpolymers, respectively. Figure 1 depicts the copolymerization of...
01:03Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...