Multi-Potent Polymer Precursor approach for novel conjugated polymers

In this proposal, I introduce a new approach for the synthesis of conjugated polymers comprising anthraquinone and anthracene units in the molecular backbone and their use in ultra-thin film organic electronics.

The preparation of these materials is possible via a common multi-potent precursor polymer obtained easily from anthraquinone via nucleophilic attack of an acetylide on the 9,10 position (yielding in a propargyl alcohol fragment) and subsequent polymerization via classic aromatic polymerization routes.

Such precursor – whose chemical and processability properties can be tuned by modification of the propargyl alcohol moiety – yields both the final fully-conjugated anthraquinone and anthracene polymers by loss of acetylene or reduction respectively.

In this way it is possible to overcome the limitation often fund in the synthesis of high-molecular weight fully-conjugated polymers.

Moreover, one can introduce responsive functionalities to trigger the last step using diverse chemical, thermal, and photo stimuli, therefore allowing the realization of fine patterns and architectures via ink-printing, laser writing, and lithographic approaches.

I propose to apply this methodology for the realization of ultra-thin inherently-conformable organic electronics devices that can find use in sensing, healthcare, and as electrode materials.

Thanks to the orthogonality of the transformations introduced above, the approach described herein allows the preparation of up to three different phases from a single processable material, thus increasing the level of complexity achievable in thin-layer devices.