Solvent Control over Supramolecular Gel Formation and Fluorescence for a Highly Crystalline π-Conjugated Polymer

In π-conjugated polymers (πCPs), crystallinity and fluorescence typically exhibit a trade-off relationship. Here, we have synthesized a highly crystalline and fluorescent π-conjugated polymer with a simple alternating structure of 1,2,4,5-tetrafluorophenylene and 3,3'-dihexyl-2,2'-bithiophene units. In film, the polymer exhibited efficient red-colored fluorescence, an improved quantum yield (Φ_sol =13 %→Φ_film =23 %) and a crystalline structure. Interestingly, supramolecular gel formation occurred in appropriate solvents, and the macrostructure and fluorescence properties of the gel could be directly controlled by the choice of the solvent. The polymer self-assembled into a spherical form that exhibited red fluorescence in non-aromatic solvent (1,2-dichloroethane) and into a fibrous form that exhibited yellow fluorescence in aromatic solvent (mesitylene).