A series of chirally substituted poly (p-phenyleneethynylene) copolymers was prepared by alkyne metathesis of mixtures of two different 2,5-dialkyl-1,4-dipropynylbenzenes. One of the monomers was the chiral bis-2,5-(S)-3,7-dimethyloctyl-1,4-dipropynylbenzene, and the second one was an achiral dipropynyl monomer. If the content of chiral monomer is 25-50 mol %, unusually large chiroptical effects, that is, optical dissymmetries, result in absorption (g = -0.38) and emission (g = -0.19) of these copolymers. The large dissymmetries can be explained by a supramolecular ordering of the PPEs into stranded features that are visualized by dark-field transmission electron microscopy. The strands of chirally substituted PPEs display a striated structure that suggests that the whole feature is a single chirally twisted crystallite.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.