Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic poly(p-phenylene) based nanostructured materials

Abstract

Exploration of novel electronic and optical properties of conjugated polymers has opened many new avenues in the design and fabrication of optoelectronic devices. Among the various conjugated polymers, poly( p-phenylene)s and its derivatives are of considerable interest due to their blue light emitting properties, chemical and photochemical stability, high quantum yield and good synthetic accessibility. Tuning the molecular structure of the PPPs for improved properties and processibility through various synthetic strategies has been achieved by many research groups around the world. Our research efforts towards this direction led to the synthesis of multifunctional amphiphilic PPPs (CnPPPOH), with many free hydroxyl groups and alkoxy chain on the polymer backbone. The new approach explored the planarization of PPP backbone and anticipated improved processibility and optoelectronic properties. The scope of the thesis is a detailed study of various aspects of these amphiphilic PPPs such as thin film deposition, morphology of the deposited films and its dependence on the optoelectronic properties, development of mixed conjugated polymer network films and preparation of PPP-silica composites by tailoring appropriate side chains to the amphiphilic PPPs. Detailed experimental and data analysis resulted the optimization of novel class of chemically tuned PPPs for nanostructed functional material development