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Star-shaped molecules consisting of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) ( P3HT) chains as the arms, attached to either a propeller-like triphenylamine or a planar triphenylbenzene core, have been synthesized via Suzuki coupling. The structures of the three-arm star-shaped poly(3-hexylthiophene) (s- P3HT) materials obtained were studied using Fourier transform infrared, 1H and 13C NMR, XRD, gel permeation chromatography and DSC. The s- P3HT polymers were soluble in common organic solvents and exhibited number-average molecular weights of 6000-7200 g mol−1. Their optical properties in solutions and in solid state films were investigated using the UV−visible absorption and photoluminescence techniques, and were compared with those of linear P3HT. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rod–coil diblock copolymers combining the conductive feature of a conjugated polymer and nanoscale morphologies arising from microphase separation of dissimilar blocks are attractive as potential materials for electronic applications. Herein, we report on the synthesis and properties of a novel diblock copolymer containing a rod-block of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(methyl methacrylate-random-2-methyl methaspirooxazine) (P3HT-b-P(MMA-r-MSp)) as photo-responsive coil-block. Well-defined rod–coil P3HT-b-P(MMA-r-MSp) diblock copolymers with average molecular weight of around 10,000 and low molar mass dispersities (ÐM) below 1.5 were successfully synthesized via the combination of quasi-living Grignard metathesis polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Post-polymerization end-group modifications of the as-obtained P3HT were then successfully realized to give a macroinitiator for the ATRP of MMA and MSp co-monomers, resulting in the P3HT-b-P(MMA-r-MSp) diblock copolymers. The structure and properties of the resulting diblock copolymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared, UV–visible spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Synthesis of regioregular P3HT terminally mono-functionalized with thiol group. • MOF-catalyzed photopolymerization to give polymethacrylates with maleimide side groups. • First time grafting of P3HT to a coil backbone by thiol-maleimide coupling. • This rod-coil graft copolymer can be potential for optoelectronic materials. While several strategies have been developed in the literature to obtain rod-coil graft copolymers composed of regioregular poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT), our contribution in this field consists of a convenient and versatile way to obtain a copolymer with a coil polymethacrylate backbone grafted with P3HT rod chains by a combination of the thiol-maleimide chemistry and MOF-catalyzed photoinitiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. Well-defined synthesis of the P3HT-graft copolymer was described, and its structure, morphology and properties were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared, UV–vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and atomic force microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the synthesis and properties of amphiphilic diblock copolymers composed of a regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) block and a block of poly( N,N -dimethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate- random -2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (P(DMAEMA- r- HEMA)). Well-defined rod-coil P3HT- b -P(DMAEMA- r- HEMA)) diblock copolymers were synthesized via the combination of quasi-living Grignard metathesis (GRIM) polymerization, end group modification, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and post-polymerization modification of diblock copolymer precursors and exhibited an average molecular weight of around 11,000 g/mol with low polydispersities below 1.5. The P3HT- b -P(DMAEMA- r- HEMA)) diblock copolymers were easily converted to amphiphilic diblock copolymers due to esterification of HEMA hydroxyl groups and amine quaternization of DMAEMA units to yield anionic or cationic amphiphilic diblock copolymers, respectively. The structure and properties of the resulting diblock copolymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR), gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared, UV–vis spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]