Integration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) units into semi-fluorinated polymers affords high thermal stability and excellent processability for potential applications in optoelectronic, gas-separation, and advanced composites. Base-promoted step-growth polycondensation of commercial bisphenols with new triphenylene containing bis-trifluorovinyl ether (TFVE) monomers affords semi-fluorinated arylene vinylene ether (FAVE) polymers in good yields. The solution-processable polymers form tough transparent films and produce substitution dependent blue-light emission in solution with emission quantum yields ranging from 7.2–12% (in dichloromethane). Although predominantly amorphous with high glass transition temperatures ( T g ) ranging from 176–243 °C, powder X-ray diffraction studies show typical molecular diameter and pi-stacking reflections for triphenylene polymers. The polymers exhibited excellent thermal stability, solution photostability, and remarkable thermal oxidative photostability after heating at 250 °C for 24 h in air. Further, a model post-polymerization Scholl coupling afforded a novel semi-fluorinated hexabenzocoronene polymer with new optical properties. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) computations were also performed using SMD (dichloromethane)- ω B97XD/BS1 (BS1 = 6-31G(d′) for C, H, O and F). This work demonstrated the synthesis and characterization of processable, blue-light emitting, thermally stable triphenylene enchained semi-fluorinated aryl ether polymers.
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Depolymerizable semi-fluorinated polymers for sustainable functional materials
Fluorinated polymers are important functional materials for a broad range of applications, but the recycling of current fluorinated polymers is challenging. We present the first example of semi-fluorinated polymers that can undergo chemical recycling to form the corresponding monomers under ambient conditions. Prepared through ring-opening metathesis polymerization of functionalized trans -cyclobutane fused cyclooctene ( t CBCO) monomers, these polymers show tunable glass transition temperatures (−2 °C to 88 °C), excellent thermal stability (decomposition onset temperatures >280 °C) and hydrophobicity (water contact angles >90°). The hydrophobicity of the semi-fluorinated polymers was further utilized in an amphiphilic diblock copolymer, which forms self-assembled micelles with a size of ∼88 nm in an aqueous solution. Finally, through an efficient, regioselective para -fluoro-thiol substitution reaction, post-polymerization functionalization of a polymer with a pentafluorophenyl imide substituent was achieved. The ease of preparation, functionalization, and recycling, along with the diverse thermomechanical properties and demonstrated hydrophobicity make the t CBCO-based depolymerizable semi-fluorinated polymers promising candidates for sustainable functional materials that can offer a solution to a circular economy.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2042494
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10417370
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 18
- ISSN:
- 1759-9954
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2608 to 2614
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1039/d2py00240j
