Tuning the Electronic Structure and Solubility of Conjugated Polymers with Perfluoroalkyl Substituents: Poly(3‐perfluorooctylthiophene), the First Supercritical CO₂‐soluble Conjugated Polymer

Abstract

Poly(3‐perfluorooctylthiophene) is the first reported conjugated polymer that is soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide (see Figure). The electron‐withdrawing nature of the perfluoroalkyl groups affords a material that undergoes reversible reduction (n‐doping), and the polymer displays a large Stokes shift because of a large difference in the conformation of the ground state and a more planar excited state.