Facile one-pot synthesis of a photo patternable anthracene polymer

A polycyclic aromatic compound, anthracene, was covalently connected through a methylene bridge via Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction. Thus, a highly fluorescent anthracene polymer (PMAn) linked by a methylene unit was prepared in one step to produce a conjugated–nonconjugated spacer-type polymer through its reaction with chloromethyl methyl ether (CME) and FeCl3 at 0 °C. The resultant polymer was soluble in organic solvents and showed significantly higher fluorescence (quantum yield = 0.80) compared to monomeric anthracene, 9-methylanthracene, in chloroform solution. Fluorescent thin films of PMAn as solid media were prepared with high film uniformity. The emission of the film was extinguished when the film was exposed to a UV source, due to the photodimerization of anthracene unit. A fluorescent gap electrode pattern was formed on the polymer film-forming average step depth of 8 nm and 14 nm, after 30 and 60 min irradiation with a UV light, respectively. The photo patternable fluorescent polymer afforded a convenient method of image formation and patterning.