Water/alcohol soluble conjugated polymers as interfacial layer materials for organic electronics

Interfacial engineering has been recently identified as fundamental strategy for maximizing efficiency and stability of organic electronic devices. To this aim, a new class of water/alcohol soluble materials comprising a ?-conjugated backbone with pendant polar or ionic groups has been recently developed [1]. These polar conjugated polymers have the typical properties of polymeric semiconductors, such as easy processability, chemical tunability, lightness and flexibility, and are suitable for meeting the growing demand for environmentally friendly materials. In fact, the solubility in water and alcohols obtained by the incorporation of polar/ionic side groups can potentially provide increased biocompatibility for sensor applications and more environmentally friendly manufacturing options. Moreover, the possibility for orthogonal solvent processability opens the way to all-solution-processed organic multilayer devices. In this view, we have designed, synthesized and tested a whole series of polar conjugated polymers featuring a fluorene-based backbone with pendant phosphonate and/or amine groups. We present the synthetic strategies we have followed for their synthesis and a few example of their application as charge regulating layer in optoelectronic devices [2].