Microwave-Assisted Classic Ullmann C-C Coupling Polymerization for Acceptor-Acceptor Homopolymers

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Organic Electronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Developing cost-effective, clean, and efficient synthetic methods for conjugated polymers is crucial for organic electronics.
• Acceptor-Acceptor (A-A) type polymers offer potential for advanced electronic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel A-A type homopolymers using an efficient polymerization technique.
• To investigate the physicochemical properties of the synthesized polymers.
• To evaluate the performance of these polymers in all-polymer solar cells (All-PSCs).

Main Methods:

• Microwave-assisted Ullmann coupling polymerization.
• Characterization using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), MALDI-TOF, Elemental Analysis (EA), and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC).
• Property analysis via UV-vis spectroscopy, Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

• A series of A-A type homopolymers were successfully synthesized and characterized.
• The synthesized polymers exhibited distinct physicochemical properties.
• The A-A homopolymers demonstrated promising performance as acceptors in All-PSCs.

Conclusions:

• Microwave-assisted Ullmann coupling is an effective method for synthesizing A-A homopolymers.
• The developed A-A homopolymers achieved a record power conversion efficiency of 3.08% in All-PSCs.
• This work represents a significant advancement for A-A homopolymer-based organic solar cells.