More Like this

1. Torsional influences on cross‐conjugated thieno[3,4‐ b ]thiophene photochromes

   https://doi.org/10.1002/poc.4650  

   Adams, Nicholas P; Tovar, John D (January 2025, Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry)

   Abstract Photoresponsive conjugated polymers are a promising target for modern organic electronics. Numerous photoswitchable repeat units have been included covalently within polymeric structures to enable responsive chromic materials, most commonly through side‐chain appendages or through formal conjugation along a π‐conjugated backbone. We recently disclosed a new design whereby the photoswitch elements are cross conjugated to a conjugated polymer main chain. In this case, we found that the extent of photoconversion was dictated in part by competitive main chain light absorption, which could be suppressed by using a photoswitching motif that carried most of the frontier molecular orbital densities. Here, we report the modeling and synthesis of a series of thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene (TT)‐based photochromes with various aromatic flankers imparting varying degrees of steric bulk and π‐conjugation in order to elucidate the balancing act between steric and electronic factors to promote photochromism. These model systems provide a better understanding of the behavior of photochromic units within extended oligomeric and polymeric π‐conjugated materials. 

   more » « less
2. Synthesis and Structure‐Property Relationships in Regioisomeric Alternating Borane‐Terthiophene Polymers

   https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202203619  

   Alahmadi, Abdullah_F; Yin, Xiaodong; Lalancette, Roger_A; Jäkle, Frieder (February 2023, Chemistry – A European Journal)

   Abstract Main‐chain boron‐containing π‐conjugated polymers are attractive for organic electronic, sensing, and imaging applications. Alternating terthiophene‐borane polymers were prepared and the effects of regioisomeric attachment of the conjugated linker and variations in the electronic effect of the pendent aryl groups (2,4,6‐tri‐tert‐butylphenyl, Mes*; 2,4,6‐tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl, FMes) examined. Pd₂dba₃/P(t‐Bu)₃‐catalyzed Stille polymerization of arylbis(2‐thienyl)borane and arylbis(3‐thienylborane) with 2,5‐bis(trimethylstannyl)thiophene at 120 °C gave polymers with appreciable molecular weight but MALDI‐TOF MS analyses showed evidence of unusually prominent homocoupling. These defects could be suppressed by using brominated rather than iodinated monomers, more hindered 2,5‐bis(tri‐n‐butylstannyl)thiophene as comonomer, and Pd₂dba₃/P(o‐tol)₃as the catalyst at 100 °C. Under these conditions, macrocyclic species withn=3–10 repeating units formed preferentially according to MALDI‐TOF MS analyses. Photophysical studies revealed a prominent effect of the regiochemistry and the nature of the pendent aryl groups on the absorption and emission, giving rise to orange, yellow‐green, blue‐green, and blue emissive materials respectively. The electronic effects were rationalized through DFT calculations on bis(terthiophene) model systems. 

   more » « less
3. Advancements in π-conjugated polymers: harnessing cycloalkyl straps for high-performance π-conjugated materials

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CC03799E  

   Ochonma, Charles; Francis, Victor S; Biswas, Sayan Kumar; Gavvalapalli, Nagarjuna (November 2024, Chemical Communications)

   Pendant alkyl chains are widely used to successfully obtain a wide variety of soluble linear 1D π-conjugated polymers. Over the past several decades, a wide variety of π-conjugated polymers have been synthesized to realize the desired properties and improve the performance of organic electronic devices. However, this strategy is not suitable for generating soluble 2D-π-conjugated materials, including ladder polymers, nanoribbons, and 2D-π-conjugated polymers, due to strong van der Waals interactions between the ribbons and sheets. The drive to synthesize higher dimensional polymers and to enhance polymers' properties has spurred the exploration of a novel direction in materials chemistry—the synthesis of unconventional monomers and polymers. The Gavvalapalli research group has developed and used cycloalkyl straps containing aryl building blocks for the synthesis of conjugated polymers. These cycloalkyl straps, positioned either above or below the π-conjugation plane, have been shown to directly control the π–π interactions between the polymer chains. We have demonstrated that π-face masking cycloalkyl straps hinder interchain π–π interactions. The first part of this review article highlights the use of cycloalkyl straps for the synthesis of higher dimensional π-conjugated polymers. In this section, we discuss the synthesis of 2D-H-mers, dispersible hyperbranched π-conjugated polymers, and conjugated porous polymers without the pendant solubilizing chains. The second part of the feature article highlights how the cycloalkyl straps can be used to gain control over polymer–acceptor interactions, including the interaction strength and the location of the acceptor along the polymer backbone. We conclude the article with the future outlook on cycloalkyl strap-containing building blocks in the world of conjugated polymers. 

   more » « less
4. Systematic Investigation of Silicon Substitution on Single Macromolecule Mechanics

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01066  

   Wentz, Kelsie E.; Yao, Yunxin; Kevlishvili, Ilia; Kouznetsova, Tatiana B.; Mediavilla, Braden A.; Kulik, Heather J.; Craig, Stephen L.; Klausen, Rebekka S. (August 2023, Macromolecules)

   Four unsaturated poly(carbooligosilane)s (P1–P4) were prepared via acyclic diene metathesis polycondensation of new oligosilane diene monomers (1–4). These novel polymers with varying main-chain Si incorporation have high trans internal olefin stereochemistry (ca. 80%) and molecular weights (9500–21,700 g mol–1). Postpolymerization epoxidation converted all alkene moieties to epoxides and rendered the polymers (P5–P8) more electrophilic, which allowed for single-molecule force spectroscopy studies via a modified atomic force microscope setup with a silicon tip and cantilever. The single-chain elasticity of the polycarbooligosilanes decreased with increasing numbers of Si–Si bonds, a finding reproduced by quantum chemical calculations. 

   more » « less
5. The effect of thread-like monomer structure on the synthesis of poly[ n ]catenanes from metallosupramolecular polymers

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d2sc05542b  

   Tranquilli, Marissa M.; Rawe, Benjamin W.; Liu, Guancen; Rowan, Stuart J. (March 2023, Chemical Science)

   The main-chain poly[ n ]catenane consists of a series of interlocked rings that resemble a macroscopic chain-link structure. Recently, the synthesis of such intriguing polymers was reported via a metallosupramolecular polymer (MSP) template that consists of alternating units of macrocyclic and linear thread-like monomers. Ring closure of the thread components has been shown to yield a mixture of cyclic, linear, and branched poly[ n ]catenanes. Reported herein are studies aimed at accessing new poly[ n ]catenanes via this approach and exploring the effect the thread-like monomer structure has on the poly[ n ]catenane synthesis. Specifically, the effect of the size of the aromatic linker and alkenyl chains of the thread-like monomer is investigated. Three new poly[ n ]catenanes (with different ring sizes) were prepared using the MSP approach and the results show that tailoring the structure of the thread-like monomer can allow the selective synthesis of branched poly[ n ]catenanes. 

   more » « less