All‐Conjugated Polymer Core–Shell and Core–Shell–Shell Particles with Tunable Emission Profiles and White Light Emission

Small, vol. 17, pp. e2101411

Abstract

Future applications of conjugated polymer particles (CPP) in medicine, organic photonics, and optoelectronics greatly depend on high performance and precisely adjustable optical properties of the particles. To meet these criteria, current particle systems often combine conjugated polymers with inorganic particles in core-shell geometries, extending the possible optical characteristics of CPP. However, current conjugated polymer particles are restricted to a single polymer phase composed of a distinct polymer or a polymer blend. Here, a synthetic toolbox is presented that enables the synthesis of monodisperse core-shell and core-shell-shell particles, which consist entirely of conjugated polymers but of different types in the core and the shells. Seeded and fed-batch dispersion polymerizations based on Suzuki-Miyaura-type cross-coupling are investigated. The different approaches allow accurate control over the created interface between the conjugated polymer phases and thus also over the energy transfer phenomena between them. This approach opens up completely new synthetic freedom for fine tuning of the optical properties of CPP, enabling, for example, the synthesis of individual white light-emitting particles.

Authors 4

1. Bastian Haehnle

   Universität Ulm

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Ulm University Albert‐Einstein‐Allee 11 Ulm 89081 Germany

   Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081 Germany

2. Philipp A. Schuster

   Universität Ulm

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Ulm University Albert‐Einstein‐Allee 11 Ulm 89081 Germany

   Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081 Germany

3. Lisa Chen

   Universität Ulm

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Ulm University Albert‐Einstein‐Allee 11 Ulm 89081 Germany

   Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081 Germany

4. Alexander J. C. Kuehne corresponding Aachen

   Universität Ulm · DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials

   Affiliation as printed

   DWI – Leibniz‐Institute for Interactive Materials Forckenbeckstraße 50 Aachen 52074 Germany

   Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Ulm University Albert‐Einstein‐Allee 11 Ulm 89081 Germany

   Institute of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081 Germany