Stabilizing cations in the backbones of conjugated polymers

What is it about?

We show that you can introduce cations to the backbone of a conjugated polymer and that the polymer will remain semi-conducting rather than becoming doped.

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Why is it important?

It is often assumed that doping a conjugated polymer only requires adding charges to the band structure, when in fact charge-carriers consist of spin and charge. By preparing polymers that are cationic using addition/elimination chemistry (i.e., two-electron processes) we can take advantage of their highly charged character and their semi-conducting properties at the same time. This work is part of our ongoing efforts to produce intrinsically water soluble conjugated polymers.