Research in the use of organic polymers as the active semiconductors in light-emitting diodes has advanced rapidly, and prototype devices now meet realistic specifications for applications. These achievements have provided insight into many aspects of the background science, from design and synthesis of materials, through materials fabrication issues, to the semiconductor physics of these polymers.

Electroluminescence in conjugated polymers

A review was presented to demonstrate a historical description of the synthesis of light-emitting conjugated polymers for applications in electroluminescent devices. Electroluminescence (EL) was first reported in poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) in 1990 and researchers continued to make significant efforts to develop conjugated materials as the active units in light-emitting devices (LED) to be used in display applications. Conjugated oligomers were used as luminescent materials and as models for conjugated polymers in the review. Oligomers were used to demonstrate a structure and property relationship to determine a key polymer property or to demonstrate a technique that was to be applied to polymers. The review focused on demonstrating the way polymer structures were made and the way their properties were controlled by intelligent and rational and synthetic design.

Synthesis of Light-Emitting Conjugated Polymers for Applications in Electroluminescent Devices

This article provides a review about electroluminescence from organic materials and deals in detail with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), light-emitting electro-chemical cells (LECs) and electrogenerated chemilumi-nescence (ECL) reflecting different electrooptical appli-cations of conjugated materials. It is written from an organic chemist's point of view and pays particular attention to the development of organic materials involved in corresponding devices. In recent years a substantial amount of both academic and industrial research has been directed to organic electroluminescence in an effort to improve the processability and tunability of organic materials and the longevity of OLEDs and LECs. On the eve of the commercialization of organic electrolumi-nescence this review provides an overview of lifetimes and efficiencies attained and reflects materials and device concepts developed over the last decade. In this context electrogenerated chemiluminescence is discussed with respect to its importance as a versatile tool to simulate the fundamental electrochemical processes in OLEDs.

The electroluminescence of organic materials

Alkylsabstituted polyfluorenes have emerged as a very attractive class of conju gated polymers, especially for display applications, owing to their pure blue and efficient electroluminescence coupled with a high charge-carrier mobility and good processability. The availability of specific and highly regroselective coupling reactions provides a rich variety of taifored polyfluorene-type paly mers and copolymers. The focus of this review, therefore, is on reliable structure-property relationships regarding (i) the interplay of substitution pattern, solid state morphology, and optical/electronic properties, and (ii) the key role of degradation-induced keto defect sites in fluorerse-type polymers, and strategies for obtaining defect-free polyfluorenes.

Semiconducting Polyfluorenes—Towards Reliable Structure–Property Relationships

Designing pi-conjugated polymers for organic electronics

Degradation-induced changes in the structural and optical properties of the polyfluorene-based blue emitting films and LEDs are examined using spectroscopic (FTIR, UV−vis, photo- and electroluminescence), analytical (FTIR and ESCA), and scanning probe microscopy techniques. The materials studied are oligomers (DP ∼ 10) of 9,9-di-n-hexylfluorene and its random copolymer with anthracene. In situ FTIR monitoring is used to characterize chemical changes in the active layer of operating LED devices. Two primary mechanisms of degradation are identified. In the first, photooxidation of the polymer matrix leads to the formation of an aromatic ketone, most likely fluorenone at the chain terminating monomer units, which quenches the fluorescence. The second process promotes aggregate formation, which then leads to loss of luminous intensity by exciton transfer and relaxation through excimers.

Electrical and Photoinduced Degradation of Polyfluorene Based Films and Light-Emitting Devices

Colorfast Blue‐Light‐Emitting Random Copolymers Derived from Di‐n‐hexylfluorene and Anthracene

Exciton migration and trapping in copolymers based on dialkylfluorenes

Donor/acceptor‐substituted phenylenevinylenes

A carbon−carbon bond formation through cation−anion coupling allows the synthesis of poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s (PPV) 1 and 2a−f, which contain donor and acceptor groups in each vinylene unit. The crucial step in the double bond formation is the quantitative elimination of methanethiol at room temperature. In this work we describe the optimization of the molecular weight of polymers of structure types 1 and 2a−f with regard to (i) solubility of the monomers and polymers and (ii) the reactivity and side reactions of the monomers. The simultaneous donor and acceptor substitution on the central double bond in PPV-analogous structures raises the question of the additivity of dipoles in each repeat unit of a conjugated polymer chain from the viewpoint of potential use in electrooptical applications. The sequence of donor and acceptor groups along the π-conjugated chain can be controlled by the choice of suitable monomers and is crucial for the alignment of the dipole components. The aggregation of polymers 1 a...

Gerrit Klärner

Papers

Electrical and Photoinduced Degradation of Polyfluorene Based Films and Light-Emitting Devices

Colorfast Blue‐Light‐Emitting Random Copolymers Derived from Di‐n‐hexylfluorene and Anthracene

Exciton migration and trapping in copolymers based on dialkylfluorenes

Donor/acceptor‐substituted phenylenevinylenes

Connective CC Double Bond Formation for the Synthesis of Donor- and Acceptor-Substituted Poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s