Jacketed and functionalized poly(paraphenyleneethynylene)s: Nonaggregating conjugated polymers and materials functionalized through click-chemistry

The synthesis and investigation of new types of poly(paraphenyleneethynylene)s, PPEs, is presented. PPEs can be jacketed by the use of tetraphenylbenzene units as side chain substituents. PPEs which are Jacketed are there by shielded from electronic and planarization effects in the solid state. Other PPEs contain pendent groups which may functionalized before or after polymerization to afford two versatile routes to newly functionalized polymeric materials. This allows the introduction of functionality late the synthesis of these polymers and allows for ready made production of functionalized polymeric materials. Other PPEs are functionalized with metals for a variety of purposes. Based on the PPE structure, metals may be introduced and these polymers may be used as precursors for other types of materials such as ceramics.