Enhanced luminance and thermal properties of poly(phenylenevinylene) copolymer presenting side-chain-tethered silsesquioxane units

We have synthesized, using the Gilch polymerization method, a new series of high-brightness, soluble copolymers (POSS-PPV-co-MEHPPV) of poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) containing side-chain-tethered polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) pendent units and poly(2-methoxy-5-[2-ethylhexyloxy]-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MEHPPV). This particular molecular architecture of POSS-PPV-co-MEHPPV copolymers possesses not only a larger quantum yield (0.85 vs 0.19) but also higher degradation and glass transition temperatures relative to those of pure MEHPPV. The maximum brightness of a double-layered-configured light-emitting diode (ITO/PEDOT/emissive polymer/Ca/Al) incorporating a copolymer of MEHPPV and 10 mol % PPV-POSS was 5 times as large as that of a similar light-emitting diode incorporating pure MEHPPV (2196 vs 473 cd/m(2)).