Designing conjugated polymer-based functional materials via the incorporation of supramolecular complexities

One of the major goals in molecule engineering is the creation of molecule- or polymer- based devices that mimic the integrated functions of their macroscopic (and often inorganic) counterparts. Because of their unique photophysical and/or redox properties, supramolecular systems and conjugated polymers (CPs) have emerged as the ideal candidates for such applications. This dissertation details the design and synthesis of various CPs with pendant supramolecular complexes. The marriage of these two materials should yield complex and unique properties that are not accessible from single-molecule systems. Chapter One is an introduction on conjugated polymers and their properties. The ease of synthetic modifications, coupled with their unique transport properties make CPs very desirable for the design of sensitive chemosensors. The incorporation of rotaxane moieties to poly(p-phenyleneethynylene)s will be described in Chapter Two. By design, the rotaxane groups behave as molecular recognition elements for the detection of small molecules. In addition, these bulky scaffolds prevent polymer aggregation. We turn our focus to the rotaxane monomers in Chapter Three. We investigate the photoinduced charge transfer interactions between donor and acceptor pairs within the rotaxane scaffold and examine the parameters that facilitate these interactions. Chapter Four describes our effort to encapsulate electroactive polymers using these bulky groups. As expected, insulation of conducting polymer severely limits the polymer's charge transport and leads to a dramatic decrease in the polymer's bulk conductivity. The tetrahedral binding site in the rotaxane group allows complexation of redox active metal ions.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Chemistry.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Kwan, Phoebe Hoi-Ying, 1978-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Timothy Swager.

• Chemistry.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/30202
• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Identifier URI

http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/30202

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/30202