Synthesis of a green-emitting alternating block copolymer

An alternating block copolymer, poly(1,8-octanedioxy-2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-phenylene-1,2-ethenylene-1,4-phenylene-1,2-ethenylene-1,4-phenylene-1,2-ethenylene-3,5-dimethoxy-1,4-phenylene), 1, was synthesized, and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography differential scanning calorimetry ultraviolet and elemental analysis. Light-emitting single-layer test diodes using this soluble, processible copolymer as the active layer (i.e. indium tin oxide/1/Ca,Al) emit green light with a luminescent spectral maximum at 513 nm. The single-layer device had a brightness of about 80 cd/m2 at a current density of 100 mA/cm2 with an internal quantum efficiency of 0.3% photon/electron. Optimization of the light-emitting properties of 1 was achieved through variation of a key Wittig polymerization step in the synthesis, using trialkyl rather than triaryl phosphonium salts in an appropriate solvent mixture to achieve nearly regiospecific trans-olefination. This provided an improvement over earlier procedures, which require a post-Wittig isomerization to minimize the presence of electroluminescence-inhibiting cis-bonds.