Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers in Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystal Fields

This review presents the progress made on current research in the synthesis of p-conjugated polymers in chiral nematic liquid crystal (N*-LC) fields through either chemical or electrochemical polymerization. The following are noteworthy advances in the field of p-conjugated polymers. (i) Helical aliphatic conjugated polymers of helical polyacetylene (H-PA) were synthesized using asymmetric interfacial polymerization in N*-LC fields. (ii) Helical aromatic conjugated polymers with electroactive properties, such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and polybithiophene (PBT), were synthesized using asymmetric electrochemical polymerization in N*-LC fields. (iii) Chiral aromatic conjugated copolymers, such as the poly(bithienylene-phenylene) (PBTP) derivative, were synthesized using the asymmetric Stille polycondensation reaction in N*-LC fields. Throughout the document, it has been emphasized that by using N*-LC systems as asymmetric polymerization fields, helix formation is possible for aliphatic and aromatic p-conjugated polymers without chiroptical substituents on the side chains.