Helical Polymer-Anchored Porphyrin Nanorods

Well‐defined arrays of porphyrins attached to a rigid polyisocyanide backbone have been synthesized and their physical and optical properties studied. The helical polymers are rigidified by an inter‐side chain hydrogen‐bonded network and have an average mass of 1.1×106 Daltons and a polydispersity index of 1.3. Each of the polymer strands contains four columns of around 200 stacked porphyrins and has an overall length of 87 nm. The chromophores are arranged in a left‐handed helical fashion along the polymer backbone. Photophysical studies show that at least 25 porphyrins within one column are excitationally coupled. Extremely rigid polyisocyanides are used as scaffolds for the organization of porphyrins. The helical polymers are rigidified by an inter‐side chain hydrogen‐bonded network and have an average mass of 1.1×106 Daltons and an average length of 87 nm. Photophysical studies show that at least 25 porphyrins within one column are excitationally coupled over a distance of 100 Å. Well‐defined arrays consisting of hundreds of porphyrins attached to a rigid polyisocyanide backbone have been synthesized and their physical and optical properties studied. Well‐defined arrays consisting of hundreds of porphyrins attached to a rigid polyisocyanide backbone (see figure) have been synthesized and their physical and optical properties studied.