Cathodically coloring yellow soluble electrochromic and light emitting polymers

• US 8,399,603 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Amb, Chad Martin, Kerszulis, Justin Adam, Reynolds, John R., Dyer, Aubrey Lynn, Thompson, Emily
• Primary Examiner(s): Fang, Shane
• Application Number:
  US13/282,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20120108778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 528/377, 528/380
• US Class Current: 528/377
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 495/04 Ortho-condensed systems
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1458 containing sulfur as the only heteroatom
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1466 containing nitrogen as the only heteroatom
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 9/02 Organic tenebrescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to yellow-to-transmissive conjugated polymers, a method to prepare the yellow conjugated polymers, the use of the yellow conjugated polymers in an electrochromic and/or electroluminescent device comprising neutral state primary subtractive colored conjugated polymers, and a method to prepare the device comprising the yellow conjugated polymer. The yellow conjugated polymers comprise a sequence of dioxythiophene units alternating with aromatic units, thiophene units, furan units, and/or pyrrole units. The yellow conjugated polymers are prepared by cross-condensation reactions. The yellow conjugated polymers can be soluble and preparation of the device involves deposition of the yellow conjugated polymer from solution onto a surface.

Claims

1. A conjugated polymer, comprising a fully conjugated polymeric sequence of at least two alternating triads comprising:

a first repeating unit selected from 3,4-alkylenedioxythiophene, 3,4-alkylenedioxyselenophene, 3,4-alkylenedioxypyrrole, and 3,4-alkylenedioxyfuran, which are substituted on the alkylene bridge;

or any combination thereof; and

a second repeating unit selected from an aromatic molecule, thiophene, furan, pyrrole, selenophene, or any combination thereof, wherein the conjugated polymer is yellow in its neutral state and has an absorption maximum between 300 and 500 nm that upon oxidation is transmissive between 400-750 nm.

2. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein the conjugated polymeric sequence has the structure:

3. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein the aromatic unit, thiophene unit, furan unit, or pyrrole unit comprises:

4. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein the fully conjugated polymeric sequence is an alternating copolymer or a portion of a random copolymer.

5. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein the fully conjugated polymeric sequence is a portion of a block, graft, branched, hyperbranched, or dendritic copolymer.

6. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein the fully conjugated polymeric sequence is a portion of a network.

7. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein the conjugated polymer or a polymeric precursor of the conjugated polymer is soluble in at least one solvent.

8. The conjugated polymer of claim 7, wherein the solvent comprises toluene, chloroform, dichloromethane, hexanes, tetrahydrofuran, chlorobenzene, water, ethanol, or other solvent.

9. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein a thin film comprising the conjugated polymer in the neutral state displays a transmittance of less than about 40% between 400 nm and 500 nm and greater than about 90% transmittance from 600 nm-750 nm.

10. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein a thin film comprising the conjugated polymer in the oxidized state displays a transmittance of more than about 70% between 400 and 750 nm.

11. The conjugated polymer of claim 1, wherein the conjugated polymer is electrochromic or electroluminescent.

12. A method for the preparation of the conjugated polymer of claim 1, comprising:

combining in one or more solvents a plurality of one or more nucleophilic monomeric aromatic units, thiophene units, furan units, pyrrole units, selenophene units or combination thereof that are disubstituted with groups comprising tin, boron, zinc, and a plurality of one or more electrophilic monomeric 3,4-alkylenedioxyheterocyclic units having a pair of leaving groups;

or

combining in one or more solvents a plurality of one or more nucleophilic monomeric dioxyheterocyclic units that are disubstituted with groups comprising tin, boron, zinc, silicon, or magnesium and a plurality of one or more electrophilic monomeric aromatic units, thiophene units, furan units, pyrrole units, selenophene units, or combination thereof having a pair of leaving groups;

optionally adding a catalyst; and

cross-coupling the nucleophilic monomeric units with the electrophilic monomeric units to yield the conjugated polymer or a precursor of the conjugated polymer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the conjugated polymer is soluble in at least one solvent.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the leaving group comprises halogen, triflate, tosylate, nosylate, trifluoroacetate, or mesylate.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the halogen comprises bromine.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the catalyst comprises a palladium or nickel comprising compound.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said cross-coupling comprises a Stille coupling, Kumada coupling, Hiyama coupling, Negishi coupling, inverse Suzuki coupling, or Grignard methathesis (GRIM).

18. An electrochromic device (ED), comprising the conjugated polymer of claim 1 and at least one non-yellow conjugated polymer that displays a primary subtractive color in a neutral state and is transmissive in an oxidized state.

19. The ED of claim 18, wherein a plurality of the non-yellow conjugated polymers display red and blue in the neutral state.

20. The ED of claim 18, wherein a plurality of the non-yellow conjugated polymers display magenta and cyan in the neutral state.

21. The ED of claim 18, wherein the device is transmissive or reflective.

22. A method of preparing an ED comprising the conjugated polymer of claim 1, comprising deposition of the conjugated polymer from solution onto a surface.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein deposition comprises spraying, printing, slot die coating, roll-to-roll coating, or electrostatic adsorption.