Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
Published on: September 26, 2016
Dimensional Evolution of Polyphenylenes: Expanding in All Directions
Brenton A G Hammer1, Klaus Müllen1
1Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research , Ackermannweg 10, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
Abstract:
Polyphenylenes (PPs) represent a class of conjugated polymers that have been used in applications ranging from organic electronic devices, sensors, polymer film additives to manipulate their mechanical properties, and even fluorescent tags or nanocarriers in biological media.1-3 The versatility of PPs stem from innovative synthetic strategies that have evolved throughout the years to provide avenues that precisely tune their architecture and function for specific purposes. This Review will cover the state of the art research on various PPs related to the relationship between their structure and resulting properties.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...
Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the polymer...
Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution
Stability of Conjugated Dienes
A comparison of the enthalpies of hydrogenation of dienes reveals that conjugated dienes release less heat on hydrogenation, rendering them more stable than their nonconjugated analogs.
Structure of Conjugated Dienes
Conjugated dienes are compounds characterized by the presence of alternating double and single bonds. In a conjugated system like 1,3-butadiene, the unhybridized 2p orbital on each carbon overlaps continuously, allowing the π electrons to be delocalized across the entire molecule. In contrast, this type of overlap does not occur in cumulated and isolated dienes, such as 2,3-pentadiene and 1,4-pentadiene, respectively. Instead, the π electrons remain localized between the double...

