Date of Award

2-1-2025

Publication Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.Sc.

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Keywords

Conjugated Polymer; Crosslinking; Diketopyrrolopyrrole; Organic Electronics; Photo-crosslinking; Polydiacetylenes

Supervisor

Simon Rondeau-Gagné

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess

Abstract

A straightforward and additive-free approach for covalently crosslinking π-conjugated semiconducting polymers through the advent of side chain engineering was developed to incorporate diacetylene motifs which undergo covalent topochemical polymerization to form new π-conjugated bridges through the formation of polydiacetylenes. In chapter two is reported the design, synthesis, and characterization of a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) based conjugated polymer which is then subsequently covalently crosslinked through the topochemical polymerization of diacetylenes through the side chains of the polymer. The resulting materials were confirmed to have undergone this covalent crosslinking through Raman spectroscopy. Following this, the materials were studied using Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping (QNM) to determine the impacts of the polydiacetylene crosslinks on the mechanical properties of the material. Chapter three focuses on optimizing the topochemical polymerization of diacetylenes to form polydiacetylenes within the side chains of conjugated polymers. More specifically, the impact of the strength of non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding on the topochemical polymerization of diacetylenes are explored here to understand how they can be optimized to develop a synthetic pathway towards an organic semiconducting polymer that can be processed in solution and topochemically crosslinked in the solid-state.

Available for download on Wednesday, July 30, 2025

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