Poly(1,4-phenylene vinylene) Derivatives with Ether Substituents to Improve Polymer Solubility for Use in Organic Light-Emitting Diode Devices

Crystal A Young; Audrey Hammack; Han Ju Lee; Huiping Jia; Tianlang Yu; Maria D Marquez; Andrew C Jamison; Bruce E Gnade; T Randall Lee

doi:10.1021/acsomega.9b02396

Poly(1,4-phenylene vinylene) Derivatives with Ether Substituents to Improve Polymer Solubility for Use in Organic Light-Emitting Diode Devices

ACS Omega. 2019 Dec 16;4(27):22332-22344. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.9b02396. eCollection 2019 Dec 31.

Authors

Crystal A Young¹, Audrey Hammack², Han Ju Lee³, Huiping Jia², Tianlang Yu³, Maria D Marquez³, Andrew C Jamison³, Bruce E Gnade⁴, T Randall Lee³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas 77006, United States.
² Office of Research, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
³ Department of Chemistry and the Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
⁴ Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75205, United States.

Abstract

New ether-substituted poly(1,4-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivatives were synthesized via Horner-Emmons coupling. The structures of the monomers and the resultant oligomers were confirmed by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies. The molecular weights of the oligomers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, giving the number-average and weight-average molecular weights and the corresponding polydispersity indices. Measurements of UV-vis absorption and fluorescence were used to characterize the optical properties of the oligomers. Estimation of the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels and other electrochemical characteristics of the oligomers were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Dialkyl and dialkoxy PPV oligomers were also prepared and characterized following the same instrumental methods used for the ether-substituted oligomers, providing a known reference system to judge the performance of the new conjugated oligomers. Devices were fabricated to analyze the electroluminescent characteristics of the oligomers in organic light-emitting diodes.