Vinylene-Linked Conjugated Microporous Polymer Decorated with Electron-Rich Units: A Single-Component White Light Emitting Device

Despite achieving a significant demand, single-component white light (SCWL) generation from polymeric materials is a fundamental challenge. Moreover, SCWL emission from conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) is sporadic. So far, all these emissive CMPs are typically constructed by linking electron-donor and acceptor systems using expensive metal/ligands at higher temperatures and long duration. Herein, a facile metal/ligand-free approach is developed to access a newly designed, conformationally twisted, electron-rich, vinylene-linked dual-state WL emissive conjugated microporous polymer quantitatively at 25 degrees C via Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction. This CMP emits intense WL in solution and yellow in the solid state, and after blending with polyvinyl alcohol, generates the flexible, intense WL emission in a thin film. Among the incorporated electron-rich units, suitably oriented triphenylamine acts as a donor and anthracene as an acceptor. Such donor-acceptor units facilitate the polymer emitting in the entire visible region. The solution WL emission [CIE (Commission Internationale de l'eclairage): 0.29, 0.32] is tuned by adjusting the concentration in dimethyl sulfoxide, and the film state produces a CIE of (0.30, 0.32). Based on the observations, the origin of WL is anticipated from blue-emissive anthracene and yellow-emissive triphenylamine cores and the intramolecular charge transfer process. It introduces easy and economical access to SCWL-emissive CMP for potential device applications. A dual emissive vinylene-linked conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) synthesized in a metal-free route at room temperature is demonstrated. The combination of twisted dianthracene and triphenylamine through vinylinic linkage generates a donor-acceptor type of CMP. The CMP is tuned to generate white light emission (WLE) in the solution state with a CIE (0.29, 0.32), which is further utilized toward the flexible WLE (0.30, 0.32) device.image

Automated summary

A metal/ligand-free approach was developed to access a white-light emissive conjugated microporous polymer at room temperature. The polymer emits intense white light in solution and yellow in the solid state, with potential applications in flexible white light emission devices. Through a donor-acceptor system, the polymer emits white light throughout the visible region.