Disubstituted Polyacetylene Brushes Grown via Surface-Directed Tungsten-Catalyzed Polymerization

Abstract

Disubstituted polyacetylene brushes were grown from modified silicon and quartz surfaces using a transition metal-catalyzed polymerization technique employing tungsten hexachloride/tetraphenyl tin (WCl6/Ph4Sn). The substrate surfaces were initially functionalized with terminal alkyne functional groups by using an alkyne-functionalized silane, O-(propagyloxy)-N-(triethoxysilylpropyl) urethane, as a surface coupling agent. Surface polymerization of 5-decyne under microwave irradiation at 150 degrees C for 30 min was performed on the functional surfaces to produce surfaces consisting of grafted poly(1,2-dibutylacetylene) brushes. The alkyne-functionalized and polymer-coated surfaces were characterized using surface contact angle measurements, film thickness measurements, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectrometer measurements were performed to analyze the surfaces at each step of the modification process. This simple technique demonstrates a novel way of synthesizing a poly(1,2-dibutylacetylene) brush layer on silicon substrate, and it has future potential in the fabrication of selectively functionalized surfaces on the nanoscale via this new synthetic approach.

Grafting Hole-Transport Precursor Polymer Brushes on ITO Electrodes: Surface-Initiated Polymerization and Conjugated Polymer Network Formation of PVK

“…35 Recently, Carter et al have successfully reported the grafting of disubstituted polyacetylene brushes grown from modified silicon and quartz surfaces using a transition-metal-catalyzed polymerization technique. 36 The conventional method for preparing hole-transport polymer layer films involve solution-casting and spin-casting. 37,38 The problem with this method is that the electroluminescent active polymer layer is also spin-cast on top of the hole-transport layer, resulting in dissolution of the former film.…”

Formation of conjugated polymer brushes by surface-initiated catalyst-transfer polycondensation

“…Unfortunately, few such methods exist. [1][2][3] Direct electropolymerization of a conjugated monomer from an electrolyte solution is the most common and versatile technique available at present. While this technique is simple in execution, allows for control of film thickness by varying the time and oxidation potential, and can be used on a variety of monomers, it tends to produce insoluble films with highly irregular morphologies as well as regioirregular polymers.…”

Patterned Layers of a Semiconducting Polymer via Imprinting and Microwave‐Assisted Grafting

“…One area where microwave‐assisted polymerization has demonstrated excellent utility is in the formation of conjugated systems, with its first reported use in this context in 2002 30. Since then microwave heating has been used to synthesize a number of conjugated polymers 19, 31–36. One striking finding in all of the prior work is that there was an observed increased rate of polymerization and reduced influence of side reactions, hence higher yields and purer products.…”