Synthesis and Characterization of Fully Conjugated Donor–Acceptor–Donor Triblock Copolymers

A synthetic approach is established to provide a monofunctional telechelic poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) bearing a single bromine-substituted end group that is of potential use in the preparation of well-defined block copolymers. Telechelic P3OT was prepared via a chain growth process by a catalyst-transfer condensation polymerization (CTCP) of 5-bromo-4-octyl-2-thienylmagnesium iodide initiated by a phenylnickel(II) initiator. Optimization of the conditions for quenching the reaction allowed for the installation an α-bromo functionality at the terminus of the polymer. We demonstrate the utility of this well-defined monofunctional polymer, Ph–P3OT–Br, by coupling it to a poly(quinoxaline) (PQ) bearing boronate ester end groups to provided a new class of donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) triblock copolymers. The formation of the triblock copolymers was confirmed by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The optical properties of the polymers were investigated using UV–visible absorption an...

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