Synthesis and Electron Transporting Properties of Diblock Copolymers Consisting of Polyfluorene and Polystyrene

Abstract

Poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorene) (PFO) is a promising material for polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) due to its advantageous properties. To enhance its electron transporting capabilities, diblock polymers were synthesized by attaching polystyrene (PSt) chains of varying lengths to one end of the PFO molecule. In a comparative study with PFO homopolymer, the diblock polymers maintained similar thermal properties, absorption spectra, and photoluminescent stability, while exhibiting slightly deeper lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels and higher crystallinity. Notably, diblock polymers with shorter polystyrene blocks demonstrated higher electron mobility than the PFO homopolymer and diblock polymers with excessively long polystyrene blocks. These findings suggest that the optimal chain length of the polystyrene block is crucial for maximizing electron mobility, thus offering valuable insights for designing high-performance PLED materials.