Rigid-Rod Complex of a Cationic Poly(p-phenylene) and a Fluorinated Amphiphile

The complexation of a cationic poly( p -phenylene) with tetraethylammonium perfluoro-1-octanesulfonate results in a highly fluorescent polymeric complex which forms cylindrical aggregates in solution and a columnar mesomorphous structure in the solid state. Two columns per unit cell are arranged in a rectangular two-dimensional lattice with lattice constants of 5.2 and 3.3 nm. A remarkably large phase width which varies from −50 to 300 °C, as determined by small-angle X-ray scattering and differential calorimetry, was found. The optical properties of the complex in solution and in the solid state were investigated using UV−vis and fluorescence spectroscopy.