Towards stimuli responsive conjugated polymer systems

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Stimuli-responsive polymers have attracted significant interest in recent years. Such polymers respond to changes in their environment by a relatively abrupt change in their physical or chemical properties. Polymeric materials responsive to a range of stimuli, such as temperature, mechanical force, pH, and various biomarkers have been developed for use in a range of applications such as sensing, drug delivery, selective capture and release and many more. More recently there has been a drive to develop materials which are selectively responsive to multiple stimuli, by combining several different functionalities within the polymer backbone. Such materials can enable more complex applications and are often classed as smart materials. One potentially attractive route to such smart materials would be to combine the fascinating optoelectronic properties of a conjugated polymer, which can include high conductivity, light absorption and fluorescence, with those of a stimuli responsive polymer which can respond to its environment. This project is focussed on the synthesis and characterisation of such materials, via the grafting of stimuli-responsive polymers to the backbone of a conjugated polymer.