Grafting of polyfluorene by surface-initiated Suzuki polycondensation.

Graft work: The first surface-initiated and site-specific palladium-catalyzed Suzuki polycondensation that allows selective grafting and patterning of semiconducting and emissive poly[9,9-bis(2-ethylhexyl)fluorene] (1) at room temperature is developed (see scheme). The patterning is demonstrated by AFM (see image).

Surface engineering using Kumada catalyst-transfer polycondensation (KCTP): preparation and structuring of poly(3-hexylthiophene)-based graft copolymer brushes.

Poly(4-vinylpyridine)-block-poly(4-iodo-styrene), P4VP-b-PS(I), block copolymers obtained by iodination of readily available P4VP-b-PS block copolymers strongly adhere to variety of polar substrates including Si wafers, glasses, or metal oxide surfaces by a polar P4VP block, forming polymer brushes of moderately stretched PS(I) chains. Kumada catalyst-transfer polycondensation (KCTP) from the P4VP-b-PS(I) brushes results into planar brushes of the graft copolymer in which relatively short ( approximately 10 nm) poly(3-hexylthiophene), P3HT, grafts emanate from the surface-tethered PS(I) chains. Grafting of the P3HT leads to significant stretching of the PS(I) backbone as a result of increased excluded volume interactions.

Conductive polymer brushes of regioregular head-to-tail poly(3-alkylthiophenes) via catalyst-transfer surface-initiated polycondensation.

We describe a new method to grow conductive polymer (CP) brushes of regioregular head-to-tail poly(3-alkylthiophenes) (P3AT) via surface-initiated polycondensation of 2-bromo-5-chloromagnesio-3-alkylthiophene. A simple procedure for the preparation of the Ni(II) macroinitiator by the reaction of Ni(PPh3)4 with photocross-linked poly-4-bromostyrene films was developed. Exposure of the initiator layers to the monomer solution leads to selective chain growth polycondensation of the monomer from the surface, resulting in P3AT brushes in a very economical way.