Design of Π-conjugated Graft and Block Copolymers: A Tool Box for Nanostructured Materials in Optoelectronic Devices

Abstract

ABSTRACTSemi-conducting conjugated (co)polymers are well soluble and can be processed easily in a large scale. Among these materials, rod-coil block and graft copolymers, show very particular properties of self-assembly, and are very promising in organic electronic, as organic photovoltaic materials for example.The post-functionalization of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) from ω-allyl terminated P3HT via various synthetic routes is reported in order to obtain well-defined block and graft copolymers for optoelectronic or photovoltaic applications. First, a well-defined and monofunctional P3HT-based macro-initiator has been obtained through a clean and versatile process. Well-defined rod-coil block copolymers were obtained by nitroxide mediated radical polymerization (NMRP) with various monomers. Finally, three different novel P3HT-based graft copolymers were synthesized following two routes.