PHOTON-HARVESTING VINYLPHENANTHRENE-METHACRYLIC ACID POLYMERS : TRIPLET-STATE MIGRATION AND TRAPPING IN RIGID SOLUTION

The delayed emission spectrum of the alternating copolymer of 9-vinylphenanthrene and methacrylic acid was compared with those of the corresponding random copolymers in rigid solution at 77 K. The alternating copolymer has no trap sites in organic rigid solution, which permits long-distance triplet energy migration and thus efficient triplet-triplet annihilation. This is not the case in aqueous rigid solution; i.e., the alternating copolymer has deep traps. Intramolecular triplet energy transfer to the covalently bound anthracene groups was also enhanced by triplet energy migration in the alternating copolymer