Metal Coordination and Aggregation Properties of Chiral Polythiophenes and Polythienylethynylenes

Abstract

Abstract A series of chiral thio‐ and oxo‐substituted polythiophenes and polythienylethynylenes has been synthesised and investigated. The replacement of an oxo‐linkage by a thio‐linkage distorts and/or inhibits the helical aggregation behaviour. The quenching of fluorescence upon coordination to palladium is also radically different depending on the presence of oxo‐ or thio‐substitution of the thiophene units. The alkylthio‐substituted polythiophenes and polythienylethynylenes do act as sensors for palladium by quenching of their fluorescence to a significantly greater extent than the quenching observed for nonthio functionalised polythiophenes and polythienylethynylenes. magnified image