Synthesis and photophysical properties of a novel soluble polyquinoline

Synthesis, characterization and photophysical properties of the poly{[(2,2′-bis-(4-phenylquinoline)-1,4-phenylene]-alt-phenoxy}n, a novel quinoline derived copolymer with ether linkages, are described. Polymerization reaction occurred through nucleophilic aromatic substitution between an aromatic halogen and a phenol. Structural characterization was made by FTIR, NMR, DSC, TGA and GPC. Ultraviolet, fluorescence and excitation spectroscopy were used for analysis of photophysical properties. The ether linkages, apart from providing better solubility compared to full conjugated quinoline copolymers, made it possible to access the photophysical properties of the quinoline moiety as a constituent of a polymer backbone, since these linkages are responsible for the confinement of the chromophoric unit. The role played by protonation in photophysical behavior was also considered, since this class of polymers is only soluble in strong acid media. This work comprised the study of the photophysical properties of nitrogen containing polymers with confined conjugation and the role of this element in some interesting properties.