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Poly(dithienylethene‐ alt ‐1,4‐divinylenephenylene)s: Increasing the Molecular Weights in Diarylethene Photochromic Polymers
Author(s) -
Bertarelli C.,
Bianco A.,
Boffa V.,
Mirenda M.,
Gallazzi M. C.,
Zerbi G.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.200304295
Subject(s) - photochromism , diarylethene , materials science , moiety , polymer , conjugated system , quantum yield , photochemistry , delocalized electron , polymer chemistry , fluorescence , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , optics , physics
Thermally irreversible, photochromic dithienylethene‐ alt ‐dihexyloxyphenylenevinylene and dithienylethene‐ alt ‐didodecyloxyphenylenevinylene copolymers have been synthesized via the Horner and Wittig reactions, respectively. Both polymers are photochromic in solution and in the solid state. Electronic spectra show that the materials are highly conjugated in both states and the large π‐delocalization along the main chain when the diarylethene moiety is in the closed form gives a decrease of the ring‐opening quantum yield. The increase in molecular weight relative to other backbone dithienylethene polymers allows the preparation of good quality films without the use of supporting polymer matrices; this is an important achievement for the technological application of these photochromic materials.