Buffer Chain Model for Understanding Crystallization Competition in Conjugated Polymers

It remains challenging to comprehensively understand the packing models of conjugated polymers, in which side chains play extremely critical roles. The side chains are typically flexible and non‐conductive and are widely used to improve the polymer solubility in organic solutions. Herein, a buffer c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2024-06, Vol.63 (24), p.e202405139-n/a
Main Authors: Yu, Zi‐Di, Lu, Yang, Yao, Ze‐Fan, Wu, Hao‐Tian, Wang, Zi‐Yuan, Pan, Chen‐Kai, Wang, Jie‐Yu, Pei, Jian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Buffers
Charge transport
Competition
conjugated polymer
Crystallization
molecular dynamics
organic thermoelectric
Polymers
Transport properties
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Summary:It remains challenging to comprehensively understand the packing models of conjugated polymers, in which side chains play extremely critical roles. The side chains are typically flexible and non‐conductive and are widely used to improve the polymer solubility in organic solutions. Herein, a buffer chain model is proposed to describe link between conjugated backbone and side chains for understanding the relationship of crystallization competition of conductive conjugated backbones and non‐conductive side chains. A longer buffer chain is beneficial for alleviating such crystallization competition and further promoting the spontaneous packing of conjugated backbones, resulting in enhanced charge transport properties. Our results provide a novel concept for designing conjugated polymers towards ordered organization and enhanced electronic properties and highlight the importance of balancing the competitive interactions between different parts of conjugated polymers. Crystallization competition between conjugated backbones and side chains is critical to obtaining modulated microstructures and improved properties of conjugated polymers. A buffer chain model is proposed here to describe the linker between backbone and side chains. Longer buffer chains in a model polymer system could effectively relieve this crystallization competition, resulting in better charge transport performance.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.202405139