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Free, publicly-accessible full text available July 9, 2025
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Abstract Conjugated ladder polymers (cLPs) represent an intriguing class of macromolecules, characterized by their multi‐stranded structure, with continuous fused π‐conjugated rings forming the backbone. Isotope substitution, such as deuteration and carbon‐13 labeling, offers unique approaches to address the significant challenges associated with elucidating the structure and solution phase dynamics of these polymers. For instance, selective deuteration can highlight parts of the polymer by controlling the scattering length density of specific molecular sections, thereby enhancing the contrast for neutron scattering experiments. In this context, deuteration of side‐chains in cLPs represents a promising approach to uncover the elusive polymer physics properties of their backbone. The synthesis of two distinct types of cLPs with perdeuterated side‐chains are reported here. During the synthesis,13C isotope labeling was also employed to verify the low levels of defects in the synthesized polymers. Demonstrating these synthetic successes lays the foundation for rigorous characterization of the defects, conformation, and dynamics of cLPs.
Free, publicly-accessible full text available July 17, 2025 -
The solubilization of conjugated polymers can be carefully quantified using static light scattering. Our findings reveal that the architecture of sidechains and backbones significantly influences polymer's conformation and aggregation.
Free, publicly-accessible full text available March 28, 2025 -
Abstract Wearable devices benefit from the use of stretchable conjugated polymers (CPs). Traditionally, the design of stretchable CPs is based on the assumption that a low elastic modulus (
E ) is crucial for achieving high stretchability. However, this research, which analyzes the mechanical properties of 65 CP thin films, challenges this notion. It is discovered that softness alone does not determine stretchability; rather, it is the degree of entanglement that is critical. This means that rigid CPs can also exhibit high stretchability, contradicting conventional wisdom. To inverstigate further, the mechanical behavior, electrical properties, and deformation mechanism of two model CPs: a glassy poly(3‐butylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) (P3BT) with anE of 2.2 GPa and a viscoelastic poly(3‐octylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) (P3OT) with anE of 86 MPa, are studied. Ex situ transmission X‐ray scattering and polarized UV–vis spectroscopy revealed that only the initial strain (i.e., <20%) exhibits different chain alignment mechanisms between two polymers, while both rigid and soft P3ATs showed similarly behavior at larger strains. By challenging the conventional design metric of lowE for high stretchability and highlighting the importance of entanglement, it is hoped to broaden the range of CPs available for use in wearable devices.