Light‐Emitting Polythiophenes

TLDR

Polythiophenes are key conjugated polymers used in conducting films, electrochromics, and field‑effect transistors, yet their light‑emitting properties have received comparatively little attention despite offering unique advantages over common polymer emitters such as polyfluorene. This review examines the progress of thiophene‑based polymers and oligomers as electroluminescent materials. The authors analyze how structural modifications control polythiophene optical properties and survey the most significant light‑emitting materials derived from thiophene derivatives. They show that structural variations influence the optical properties and LED performance of polythiophene materials, highlighting key design principles for efficient light‑emitting diodes.

Abstract

Abstract Polythiophenes are one of the most important classes of conjugated polymers, with a wide range of applications, such as conducting films, electrochromics, and field‐effect transistors, which have been the subject of a number of older and more recent reviews. Much less attention has been paid to the light‐emitting properties of this class of materials, although their unique properties present a number of opportunities unavailable from more popular polymeric light emitters such as polyfluorene or poly( p ‐phenylene vinylene). This article reviews achievements to date in applications of thiophene‐based polymers and oligomers as electroluminescent materials. We demonstrate the basic principles of controlling the optical properties of polythiophenes through structural modifications and review the most important light‐emitting materials created from thiophene derivatives. Special attention is paid to consequences of structural variations on the performance of light‐emitting diodes fabricated with these materials.