Poly(alkylbithiazoles): A New Class of Variable-Band Gap Conjugated Polymer

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9510274 Curtis Highly conjugated polymers are promising materials for use as electrodes in batteries or sensors, as the light-emitting semiconductor in LEDs, and as anti-corrosion or anti-static coatings. This research opens the possibility of producing new polymers with tunable properties. %%% Curtis' research group has recently synthesized a new class of conjugated polymers, the poly(alkylbithiazole)s, PABTs. These new polymers have alkyl side chains that render them soluble in common organic solvents, and thin films may be cast from these solutions. These new polymers are regioregular and show unprecedented polymorphism with attendant polychromism. Thermal of solvent annealing of the films induces solid state phase transformations that are characterized by large increases in the conjugated length and decreases in the band gap. This research seeks to determine the structures of the polymorphic phases and to determine how the molecular structure of the polymer side chains influences the solid-state packing, phase- transformation energetics, crystallinity, conductivity, and photo- or electroluminescence efficiency. Model oligomers will be synthesized and their 3-dimensional structures determined by X-ray diffraction. These model studies will aid the interpretation of X-ray and EXAFS data on the high MW polymers. The polymers and model oligomers will be doped with a variety of oxidants and the structures and spectroscopic properties (UV-VIS, ESR, magnetic susceptibility, etc.) of the doped systems will be determined and compared with the neutral precursors. This systematic study of structure-property relationships will provide new data for optimizing polymer structure for specific properties, e.g. high conductivity, high electroluminescence efficiency, thermal- or photo-stability, etc. The PABTs have a basic nitrogen functional group in the chain backbone that can be alkylated or used to form metal complexes. These reactions alter the potential along the chain. Such changes may be used to alter conductivity or to act as exciton traps to increase luminescence efficiency and alter the wavelength of the emitted light. ***