Synthesis of PTCDA-Pendant Monomers for Preparation of Conjugated Polymers via Suzuki-Miyaura Catalyst-Transfer Polymerization
Session Number
1
Advisor(s)
Anastasija Rudan, Dr. Evgueni Nesterov
Location
A119
Discipline
Computer Science
Start Date
15-4-2026 10:15 AM
End Date
15-4-2026 11:00 AM
Abstract
Conjugated polymers (CPs) are promising materials for electronic and sensor applications. However, current methods of catalyst-transfer polymerization (CTP) can only produce a small range of CPs, limiting the use of the technology. Additionally, current step-growth polymerization techniques lack control, and the most promising CPs are too complex to synthesize efficiently. This study proposes a polymer characterized by a π-conjugated backbone with non-conjugated pendants that undergo spatial and electronic interactions. Specifically, the pendant monomers for this CP were synthesized from perylene-3,4,9,10- tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA). PTCDA has a large surface area, promoting electronic communication between the pendant units and π-electron delocalization across multiple aromatic groups. For the preparation of the monomer, an anhydride group in PTCDA was converted to an imide with an attached octyl chain. The resulting product structure was confirmed using NMR spectroscopy. In the future, these PTCDA-derived pendants will be linked to the CP backbone using the Suzuki-Miyaura CTP procedure, a far more efficient and controlled method for polymer growth. The CPs from this project will introduce new electronic polymers with tunable characteristics that can be used in large-scale electronic and sensing devices.
Synthesis of PTCDA-Pendant Monomers for Preparation of Conjugated Polymers via Suzuki-Miyaura Catalyst-Transfer Polymerization
A119
Conjugated polymers (CPs) are promising materials for electronic and sensor applications. However, current methods of catalyst-transfer polymerization (CTP) can only produce a small range of CPs, limiting the use of the technology. Additionally, current step-growth polymerization techniques lack control, and the most promising CPs are too complex to synthesize efficiently. This study proposes a polymer characterized by a π-conjugated backbone with non-conjugated pendants that undergo spatial and electronic interactions. Specifically, the pendant monomers for this CP were synthesized from perylene-3,4,9,10- tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA). PTCDA has a large surface area, promoting electronic communication between the pendant units and π-electron delocalization across multiple aromatic groups. For the preparation of the monomer, an anhydride group in PTCDA was converted to an imide with an attached octyl chain. The resulting product structure was confirmed using NMR spectroscopy. In the future, these PTCDA-derived pendants will be linked to the CP backbone using the Suzuki-Miyaura CTP procedure, a far more efficient and controlled method for polymer growth. The CPs from this project will introduce new electronic polymers with tunable characteristics that can be used in large-scale electronic and sensing devices.