EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL-STUDY OF RING SUBSTITUENT-INDUCED EFFECTS ON THE STRUCTURAL AND OPTICAL-PROPERTIES OF POLY(P-PYRIDYLVINYLENE-PHENYLENEVINELYNE)S

Optical absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy have been carrie d out on a new class of (phenylene) ring substituted p-pyridylvinylene phenylenevinelyne polymers used as active materials in light emitting diodes. The effects of the ring substitutions on the optical absorptio n and photoluminescence energies are qualitatively explained through t he use of semiempirical quantum chemical modeling of the ring torsion angles. Reduced aggregation through the use of ''strap'' substituents on the phenylene rings also is discussed. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.