Protocols for Efficient Postpolymerization Functionalization of Regioregular Polythiophenes

A synthetic protocol for the postpolymerization of poly(3-substituted thiophene)s obtained from Grignard metathesis (GRIM) polymerization using Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition chemistry was studied. In order to generate monomer or the synthesis of alternating copolymers, the experiment designed bithiophene monomer, dibromobithiophene, and chose Suzuki coupling reactions to assemble these bithiophenes. The experiments with the GRIM polymerization, which were conducted at ambient temperature, afforded very little of the desired polymer, regardless of the amount of catalyst used. The McCullough polymerization method was reported to be a quasi-living polymerization method that produce primarily head-to-tail linkages. The study also pursued the photophysical properties and thin-film morphologies of these polymers.