Synthesis of Phenyleneethynylene-Doped Poly(p-phenylenebutadiynylene)s for Live Cell Imaging

We developed a new synthetic approach to high molecular weight poly(p-phenylenebutadiynylene) s (PPBs) by increasing backbone flexibility. The introduction of a small amount of flexible units along the backbone improved both the physical and photophysical properties of the polymers. These materials were successfully fabricated into conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) and used for fluorescent live cell imaging for the first time.