Synthesis and properties of through-space conjugated polymers based on [pi]-[pi] stacked 1,3-biarylpropane tethering units

Novel skipped-π polymers in which the π-components are connected with 2-substituted trimethylene tethering units exhibit bathochromically shifted, broadened ultraviolet absorption with a unique lower-energy absorption band and a largely red-shifted fluorescent emission. These results suggest that through-space π-π interactions owing to a stair-like stacking substructure in these polymers extend the π-conjugation of the components in the ground and excited states. As the photophysical properties of the polymers observed both in a solution and in a dried film are similar to those of the J-aggregates of π-molecules, these polymers may be considered as pseudo J-stacking (or J-like-stacking) polymers. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3412-3419 [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]