Finely Designed P3HT-Based Fully Conjugated Graft Polymer: Optical Measurements, Morphology, and the Faraday Effect

Abstract

In this work, our group synthesized and characterized a fully conjugated graft polymer comprising of a donor–acceptor molecular backbone and regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RRP3HT) side chains. Here, our macromonomer (MM) was synthesized via Kumada catalyst transfer polycondensation reaction based on ditin-benzodithiophene (BDT) initiator. The tin content of MM was then investigated by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), which allowed for accurate control of donor/acceptor monomer ratio of 1:1 for the following Stille coupling polymerization toward our graft polymer (BP). The structures of the polymers were then characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), NMR, and elemental analysis. This was followed by the characterization of optical, electrochemical, and physical properties. The magneto-optical activity of graft polymer BP was then measured. It was found that, despite the presence of the acceptor backbone, the characteristic large Faraday rotation of RRP3HT was maintained in polymer BP, which exhibited a Verdet constant of 2.39 ± 0.57 (10⁴) °/T·m.