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

https://ir.nctu.edu.tw:443/bitstream/11536/14909/1/000297489400002.pdf

POSS related polymer nanocomposites

Polymer encapsulated organic nanoparticles have recently attracted increasing attention in the biomedical field because of their unique optical properties, easy fabrication and outstanding performance as imaging and therapeutic agents. Of particular importance is the polymer encapsulated nanoparticles containing conjugated polymers (CP) or fluorogens with aggregation induced emission (AIE) characteristics as the core, which have shown significant advantages in terms of tunable brightness, superb photo- and physical stability, good biocompatibility, potential biodegradability and facile surface functionalization. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in the development of polymer encapsulated CP and AIE fluorogen nanoparticles, including preparation methods, material design and matrix selection, nanoparticle fabrication and surface functionalization for fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging. We also discuss their specific applications in cell labeling, targeted in vitro and in vivo imaging, blood vessel imaging, cell tracing, inflammation monitoring and molecular imaging. We specially focus on strategies to fine-tune the nanoparticle property (e.g. size and fluorescence quantum yield) through precise engineering of the organic cores and careful selection of polymer matrices. The review also highlights the merits and limitations of these nanoparticles as well as strategies used to overcome the limitations. The challenges and perspectives for the future development of polymer encapsulated organic nanoparticles are also discussed.

/pdf/polymer-encapsulated-organic-nanoparticles-for-fluorescence-493xm0p08o.pdf

Polymer-encapsulated organic nanoparticles for fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging

Designing pi-conjugated polymers for organic electronics

Heavy metal organometallic electrophosphors derived from multi-component chromophores

Polyfluorene (PF)-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) typically exhibit device degradation under operation with the emergence of a strong low-energy emission band (at ∼ 2.2–2.4 eV). This longer wavelength band converts the desired blue emission to blue–green or even yellow. We have studied both the photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) of PFs with different molecular structures and found that the low-energy emission band originates from fluorenone defects which are introduced by photo-oxidization, thermal oxidation, or during device fabrication. X-ray photo-emission spectroscopy (XPS) results show that the oxidation of PF is strongly catalyzed by the presence of calcium. The fluorenone defects generate a stronger contribution to the EL than to the PL. By utilization of a novel electron-transporting material as a buffer layer between the emissive PF and the Ca/Ag (Ba/Ag) cathode, the blue EL emission from the PF was stabilized.

Stabilized Blue Emission from Polyfluorene‐Based Light‐Emitting Diodes: Elimination of Fluorenone Defects

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) anchored to poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1.4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) (MEH-PPV–POSS), and to poly(9,9-dihexylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) (PFO) (PFO–POSS) were synthesized. Compared with the corresponding parent polymers, MEH-PPV and PFO, MEH-PPV–POSS and PFO–POSS have better thermal stability. MEH-PPV–POSS and MEH-PPV have identical absorption and photoluminescent (PL) spectra, both in solution and as thin films. They also have identical electroluminescent (EL) spectra. Devices made from MEH-PPV–POSS exhibit higher brightness (1320 cd m–2 at 3.5 V) and higher external quantum efficiency (ηext = 2.2 % photons per electron) compared to MEH-PPV (230 cd m–2 at 3.5 V and ηext = 1.5 % ph el–1). Compared with PFO in the same device configuration, PFO–POSS has improved blue EL emission and higher ηext.

Stabilization of semiconducting polymers with silsesquioxane

The electronic properties, carrier injection, and transport into poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO), PFO end-capped with hole-transporting moieties (HTM), PFO–HTM, and PFO end-capped with electron-transporting moieties (ETM), PFO–ETM, were investigated. The data demonstrate that charge injection and transport can be tuned by end-capping with HTM and ETM, without significantly altering the electronic properties of the conjugated backbone. End-capping with ETM resulted in more closely balanced charge injection and transport. Single-layer electrophosphorescent light-emitting diodes (LEDs), fabricated from PFO, PFO–HTM and PFO–ETM as hosts and tris[2,5-bis-2′-(9′,9′-dihexylfluorene)pyridine-κ2NC3′]iridium(III), Ir(HFP)3 as the guest, emitted red light with brightnesses of 2040 cd m–2, 1940 cd m–2 and 2490 cd m–2 at 290 mA cm–2 (16 V) and with luminance efficiencies of 1.4 cd A–1, 1.4 cd A–1 and 1.8 cd A–1 at 4.5 mA cm–2 for PFO, PFO–HTM, and PFO–ETM, respectively.

S. Xiao

Papers

Stabilized Blue Emission from Polyfluorene‐Based Light‐Emitting Diodes: Elimination of Fluorenone Defects

Stabilization of semiconducting polymers with silsesquioxane

End-Capping as a Method for Improving Carrier Injection in Electrophosphorescent Light-Emitting Diodes