Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - 2:20 PM
Room 7a (McKimmon Conference Center)
363

Hole-Transporting Polymer Brush: Synthesis and Characterization

Volodymyr Tsyalkovsky, David D. Evanoff Jr., Zachary J. Hunt, and Stephen H. Foulger. Clemson University, Anderson, SC

We report the synthesis of conductive polymer brushes on the surface of nanoparticles via click chemistry, i.e. the Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between terminal azides and alkynes. Hole-transporting polymers were synthesized by the atom transfer radical polymerization of methacrylate functionalized carbazole monomers. The bromine terminated ATRP polymers were readily converted into terminal azide functionalized chains. Emulsion polymerization of propargyl acrylate was used to synthesize colloidal particles with alkyne-functionalized surface. The copper-catalyzed click reaction was used to form the fully organic, brush-like nanoparticles. The hole-transporting properties of the core-shell particles were measured using the standard time-of-flight technique and compared to polycarbazole films. Furthermore, photoluminescence spectroscopy was performed to interrogate polymer chain conformation on the particle surface.