Steric coordination control of interchain interactions in conducting metallopolymers.

The solution processability of a conducting metallopolymer (CMP1) based on a 2,2'-bipyridyl (bipy) derivatized poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) backbone has been accomplished by the strategic placement of sterically demanding mesityl side chains. The enhanced solubility of CMP1 can be traced to the prevention of coordinative crosslinking between polymer chains. The sterically enforced 1:1 bipy/metal ratio was confirmed by job analysis of absorption spectroscopic titration data. In addition to enhanced processability, this strategy also leads to twice as many metal ions, and consequently twice the charge, on CMP1 versus traditional bipyridyl-PPV metallopolymers that are typified by a 2:1 bipy/metal ratio with certain metals.