Conjugated polymers based on benzodithiophene and arylene imides: Extended absorptions and tunable electrochemical properties

Three novel conjugated polymers have been designed and synthesized via the alternative copolymerization of the electron-donating monomer benzodithiophene (BDT) and three different electron-accepting monomers: perylene diimide (PDI), naphthalene diimide (NDI), and phthalimide (PhI). All obtained copolymers show good solubility in common organic solvents as well as broader absorptions in visible region and narrower optical band gaps compared to homopolymers from BDT units. It is found that the absorptions of the copolymers are red-shifted with increasing the electron-withdrawing ability of the co-monomer. In particular, the absorption edge of P(BDT-NDI) film extends to 760 nm, whereas that of P(BDT-PhI) film is only at 577 nm. Cyclic voltammograms of the three polymers disclose that P(BDT-PDI) and P(BDT-NDI) are typical n-type materials because PDI and NDI are strong electron-accepting groups, while P(BDT-PhI) is a stable p-type material where the weak electron-withdrawing monomer (PhI) is introduced. The results suggest that the absorption range and the electrochemical properties of the conjugated polymers can be tuned by appropriate molecule-tailoring, which will help exploring ideal conducting polymers for potential applications in polymer optoelectronics, especially in polymer solar cells.