Synthesis and characterization of new blue-photoluminescent copolymer derived from bisphenol A

A new copolymer with short alternating con- jugated and nonconjugated blocks, derived from bisphenol A (BPAEt2-PPV) containing separated phenylenevinylene (PV) units has been synthesized by Wittig condensation. The copolymer is fully soluble in common organic solvents and has a number-average molecular weight of 3200 with a polydispersity index of 1.53. The structure of the polymer was confirmed by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, FTIR and Raman spectroscopic analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis and dif- ferential scanning calorimetry indicate that BPAEt2-PPV is stable up to 400°C in air and displays a glass transition temperature of 107°C. The fluorescence spectrum of the polymer film shows an emission in the blue region (428, 456, and 488 nm). The band-gap energy, estimated from the edge absorption of the film, is about 2.9 eV. A single-layer diode device of the configuration ITO/BPAEt2-PPV/Al has been fabricated and has a relatively low turn-on voltage of 3.7 V. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 2997-3004, 2006