Synthesis of network polymer emitters: tunable detection of chemicals by geometric design

• Published in: Polymer journal 2019-10, Vol.51 (10), p.1055-1061
• Main Authors: Hayashi, Shotaro, Yamamoto, Shin-ichi, Nishi, Koji, Asano, Atsushi, Koizumi, Toshio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 140/131; 639/638/455/941; 639/638/455/954; Biomaterials; Bioorganic Chemistry; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Emitters; Emitters (electron); Fluorescence; Molecular structure; Organic chemistry; Original Article; Permittivity; Polymer Sciences; Polymers; Solid state; Solvents; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films
• ISSN: 0032-3896; 1349-0540
• DOI: 10.1038/s41428-019-0216-1

Conjugated network polymer emitters are potential materials for use as solid detectors of chemicals. We demonstrated the synthesis of fluorescent network polymers through a facile route. Solid-state fluorescent network polymer emitters were synthesized through the Knoevenagel polycondensation of an arylaldehyde (tris( p -formylphenyl)amine) with an arylacetonitrile (phenylenediacetonitrile) in good yields. The molecular structure based on the electron-donor triphenylamine and electron-acceptor cyano-substituted phenylene-vinylene showed a highly efficient solid-state fluorescence. The synthesized model small molecule showed a well-defined solvatofluorochromism: the dielectric constants were ε sol of approximately 0–50 at λ fl of 480–560 nm. The response to solvent chemicals was also shown for the network polymers. Surprisingly, the network polymer linked with para -phenylene-vinylene was only responsive to the solvents with a low dielectric constant ( ε sol ca.