The electronic and the geometrical structures of the polymers poly-1,3
,4-oxadiazole and poly-(p-phenylene-1,3,4-oxadiazole) are studied usin
g density functional calculations. These polymers are fully conjugated
, having band widths which are comparable to the more common conjugate
d polymers. They have however a significantly higher ionization potent
ial, which makes them suitable hole blocking materials for organic lig
ht emitting diodes. In addition poly-1,3,4-oxadiazole is a convenient
electron transport material, due to its high electron affinity. Due to
the presence of the phenyl rings, the electron affinity of poly-(p-ph
enylene-1,3,-oxadiazole) is much lower. (C) 1997 American Institute of
Physics.