Synthesis of acrylate and norbornene polymers with pendant 2,7-bis(diarylamino)fluorene hole-transport groups

New hole-transport monomers have been synthesized in which a 2,7-(diarylamino)fluorene hole-transport functionality is linked through the 9-position of the fluorene bridge to a polymerizable acrylate or norbornene group; these monomers have been polymerized under free-radical and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) conditions, respectively. The norbomene monomer has also been copolymerized with a cinnamate-functionalized norbornene; this copolymer can be rendered insoluble through photo-crosslinking of the cinnamate groups under UV irradiation, thus permitting the use of the polymer in organic electronic devices based upon multiple polymer layers. The norbornene monomer has also been copolymerized with dicyclopentadiene to afford insoluble crosslinked films. Time-of-flight studies indicate that the norbomene polymer has a higher hole mobility than the analogous acrylate material, consistent with the predictions of the disorder formalism. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.