Anionic polymerization of 4-(9-carbazolyl)methylstyrene

For the application of conjugated polymers in photonics, we synthesized styrene derivatives containing carbazole, 4-(9-carbazolyl)methylstyrene (CMS). The anionic polymerization of CMS was carried out in THF at either −45 or −78°C. It takes around 24 h to get PCMS with 100% yield in THF at −78°C, due to the crystallization of CMS at this temperature. However, the yield exceeded 90% within 10 min. On the other hand, the yield of CMS at −45°C levels up at about 67%, after 30 min. The molecular weight distributions of PCMS obtained at −45°C are broader than those of PCMS synthesized at −78°C. This may be due to the side reactions, such as methylene proton abstraction at the propagating end groups at higher polymerization temperature of −45°C. The glass transition temperature of the polymer measured by DSC was observed in the range of 159–173°C.