ELECTRONIC-PROPERTIES OF SOLUBLE POLY(PARA-PHENYLENE) DERIVATIVES

A new class of soluble poly(paraphenylene) derivatives containing func tional groups in the polymer backbone have recently been synthesised. We report here the results of preliminary investigations into the effe ct of the substitution in the backbone on the electronic properties of these materials. Photoluminescence and photoinduced absorption measur ements indicate that interchain aggregates form in some of the materia ls, depending on the nature of the backbone. The susceptibility of the polymers to doping by iodine is found to depend sensitively on their ionisation potential.