Optically Tunable and Highly Stable Light-Emitting Polymer/PMMA Blends via the Controlled Oxidation of MEH-PPV Using...

A novel one-pot synthesis of semiconductive polymer blends with tunable optical properties and enhanced material stability is developed, primitively through the controlled oxidation of poly-[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV). Utilizing bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in a MEH-PPV solution with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as an initiator for MMA and radical scavenger for MEH-PPV, oligomers with controlled conjugation lengths and improved photostability were achieved. The BPO-mediated reaction cleaves MEH-PPV, allowing modulation of optical properties by adjusting the initial polymer concentration and BPO amount. Additionally, BPO facilitates interfacial functionalization between MEH-PPV and poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), enabling emission intensity tuning by varying the blending ratios. Optimized conditions for red-, green-, and blue-emitting polymer blends were established, followed by structural, photophysical, thermal, and photostability analyses. Study confirmed conjugation length scission in MEH-PPV and improved photostability with PMMA incorporation, highlighting the potential of this interfacial interaction for advanced optoelectronic materials.