Universal Design and Efficient Synthesis for High Ambipolar Mobility Emissive Conjugated Polymers

Area of Science:

• Organic electronics
• Materials science
• Polymer chemistry

Background:

• High ambipolar mobility emissive conjugated polymers (HAME-CPs) are crucial for organic optoelectronics.
• A trade-off between high mobility and luminescence often leads to complex structures and synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a universal design principle and a simple synthetic approach for HAME-CPs.
• To overcome the synthetic complexity and intrinsic trade-offs in HAME-CP development.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized non-fused polymers using a two-step microwave-assisted C-H arylation and direct arylation polymerization.
• Verified the protocol across 7 monomers and 8 resulting polymers.

Main Results:

• Achieved high total yields up to 61% for the synthesized polymers.
• All 8 polymers exhibited strong solid-state emission with photoluminescence quantum yields up to 24%.
• Four polymers demonstrated high ambipolar field-effect mobility reaching 10⁻² cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides an efficient and rational approach for synthesizing HAME-CPs.
• These polymers are suitable for multifunctional optoelectronic devices, opening new development avenues.