POLYMERIZATION IN A REVERSE MICELLE NONREACTOR - PREPARATION OF PROCESSABLE POLY(P-PHENYLENEVINYLENE) WITH CONTROLLED CONJUGATION LENGTH

We show that a nanoscale polymerization reaction within the confinemen t of a reverse micellar cavity yields products with controlled conjuga tion lengths and, thus, controlled band gaps for applications to elect ronics and photonics. In addition, control of the physical size (lengt h) of the polymer provides the prospects of monodispersity, improved p rocessability, and preparation of nanocomposites. This novel approach has been successfully applied to produce controlled chain length poly( p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV), a polymer that has drawn considerable atte ntion in recent years for its electrolumineseence, nonlinear optical, and lasing properties.