Conjugated Polymer Networks

Semiconducting -conjugated polymers are of interest, as these materials combine the desirable processability and mechanical properties of polymers with the tailored optoelectronic properties of functional organic molecules. Their use in light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, photovoltaic cells etc. has motivated the development of conjugated polymers with unique property matrices and the field has matured to the onset of commercial exploitation. The research program that forms the basis of this work has been directed towards the design, synthesis and characterization of well-defined conjugated polymer networks. We have shown that organometallic polymer networks based on linear conjugated polymers are readily accessible through ligand-exchange reactions. The study unequivocally proves that the introduction of crosslinks indeed leads to a significant improvement in the carrier mobility of conjugated polymers. In a second approach we have demonstrated that the processing issues associated with covalently cross-linked conjugated polymer networks can be readily overcome if these materials are synthesized in the form of crosslinked nanoparticles and processed as suspensions.