Synthesis and light-emitting properties of C60-containing poly(1-phenyl-1-butyne)s

Abstract While WCl 6 –Ph 4 Sn is a poor catalyst for the polymerization of 1-phenyl-1-butyne (PB) at room temperature, it effectively polymerizes PB in the presence of C 60 , giving high molecular weight polymers in high yields. The polymers are soluble in common solvents such as THF and chloroform, and spectroscopic analysis reveals that C 60 has copolymerized with PB. Thus, C 60 plays the dual roles of comonomer and cocatalyst in the acetylene polymerization. While it has often been reported that C 60 quenches photoluminescence (PL) of conjugated copolymers, the C 60 -containing polyacetylene emits strong blue light, whose intensity is about two times higher than that of the PL of the parent PPB.