Well-Defined Conjugated Macromolecules Based on Oligo(Arylene Ethynylene)s in Sensing

Abstract

Macromolecules with well-defined structures in terms of molar mass and monomer sequence became interesting building blocks for modern materials. The precision of the macromolecular structure makes fine-tuning of the properties of resulting materials possible. Conjugated macromolecules exhibit excellent optoelectronic properties that make them exceptional candidates for sensor construction. The importance of chain length and monomer sequence is particularly important in conjugated systems. The oligomer length, monomer sequence, and structural modification often influence the energy bang gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the molecules that reflect in their properties. Moreover, the supramolecular aggregation that is often observed in oligo-conjugated systems is usually strongly affected by even minor structural changes that are used for sensor designs. This review discusses the examples of well-defined conjugated macromolecules based on oligo(arylene ethynylene) skeleton used for sensor applications. Here, exclusively examples of uniform macromolecules are summarized. The sensing mechanisms and importance of uniformity of structure are deliberated.

A review of oligo(arylene ethynylene) derivatives in molecular junctions

“…1b). OAEs have found applications in diverse fields, including biosensors and biocides 1 (including recently against the SARS-CoV-2 virus 2 ), supramolecular chemistry [3][4][5] and sensors, 6,7 covalent organic frameworks, 8 organic photovoltaics, 9 and liquid crystals. 10 Synthetically, OAEs have been used as graphene nanoribbon precursors 11 and OAE templates have been used to prepare OAE macrocycles.…”

A Portrait of the OPE as a Biological Agent

“…In general, sequence-defined oligomers, such as OPEs, can be synthesized by iterative processes in which the coupling of protected monomers, followed by deprotection, are steps that are repeated cyclically until the desired oligomer is obtained. Three main approaches to this general process have been investigated in literature: the solution synthesis, the soluble support-based synthesis, and the solid-phase synthesis [ 3 ]. Although the last two methodologies appear the most convenient ones, in terms of purification steps and final yields, classical solution chemistry is the most applied and the one we discuss in this section.…”

Discrete oligourethanes of sequence-regulated properties – impact of stereocontrol

“…Consequently, there are few protocols that enable a scalable and sustainable way of making sequence-defined polymers. Therefore, considering sequencedefined polymers for applications in materials, [21][22][23] synthesis methods have to be improved.…”