Soluble, photoluminescent, ionic polymers with 2,6-bisphenyl-4-anthracenyl-N-hexadecylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate segments

Abstract

A new series of violet or blue photoluminescent, ionic polyamides, polyesters and polyethers containing 2,6-bisphenyl-4-anthracenyl (or phenyl) -N-hexadecylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate segments were synthesized through pyrylium salts. They were characterized by viscosimetry, FTIR, NMR, X-ray, differential scanning calorimetry, thermomechanical analysis, UV-vis and luminescence spectroscopy. Polyamides and polyester were practically amorphous or microcrystalline, while polyethers with long aliphatic spacers in the main chain showed a significant degree of crystallinity. The hydrophilicity of polyamides was evaluated by determination of their isothermal moisture absorption and correlated with chemical structures. Polyamides did not display melting temperature and dissolved in polar aprotic solvents and CCl3COOH. Polyester and polyethers melted at relatively low temperatures (93–174 °C) and dissolved in various common solvents including 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, o-dichlorobenzene and THF. They could be easily processed due to their excellent solubility and melting ability. Polyamides exhibited higher Tg values (113–190 °C) than polyester (68 °C) and polyethers (63–88 °C). The polymers showed a satisfactory thermal stability and their photoluminescence maxima were in the range of 416–480 nm for solutions and 432–451 nm for thin films. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2492–2504, 2000