Isotactics polyfluorene - Monomers, Polymers, Diblockcopolymers

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ullrich Scherf
• Subject Area: Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers ; Polymer Materials
• Term: from 2012 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 227781876

Targets of the proposed project are the synthesis, isolation and characterization of isotactic polyfluorenes. This research project has been running for two years and is not yet funded. The introduction of polar substituents (e.g. cyanoethyl-group in i-PF8-2CN) will cause the dipolar interaction of the side chains and should lead to an increased solid state order. Furthermore, we will investigate the possibility of ß-phase formation in isotactic polyfluorenes. Further on, rod/rod-type all-conjugated diblock copolymers will be synthesized in a „grafting from“ polymerization using a monobromo-terminated poly(3-alkylthiophene) macromonomer and chiral AB-type-fluorene monomers. Their optical, thermal and packing properties will be compared to all-conjugated block copolymers made from the corresponding racemic fluorine monomers. Hereby, also amphiphilic systems with a polar polythiophene block (e.g. with phosphonic ester side chains) and non-polar polyfluorene block are interesting due to their specific self-organization behavior. The optical and chiroptical properties of the resulting block copolymers will be investigated in detail, especially for chiral induction effects caused by the reduced symmetry.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Dr. Michael Forster