Synthesis and characterization of poly(pyridine vinylene) via the sulfinyl precursor route

Abstract

The synthesis and characterization of poly(pyridine vinylene) (PPyV) via the nonionic sulfinyl precursor route is presented. Starting from an unsymmetrical monomer, precursor polymers were prepared in various solvents, which led to polymers with variable molecular weights. The thermal conversion to the conjugated structure, as well as its stability, was studied with different techniques such as FT-IR, UV-vis, TGA, and direct insertion probe mass spectroscopy (DIP-MS). From these results we were able to derive the most suitable conditions to perform the conversion. The fully conjugated PPyV was further characterized with photoluminescence (PL) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. The PL efficiency was found to be as high as 14%. The CV measurements showed that the polymer can be reduced (n-doped).