Conformational Control and Charge Separation Dynamics in Perylene Bisimide-based Donor-Acceptor Polymers
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The development of organic electronic materials is fundamentally influenced by the electronic structure of π-conjugated polymers. Precise positioning of donor and acceptor (D-A) units plays a crucial role in tailoring electronic properties to meet desired requirements. In this study, we report the synthesis and investigation of a novel class of D-A polymers. Four polymers, two with hanging and two with linear configurations of perylene bisimide, were designed and synthesized using Hay-Glaser and oxidative coupling polymerization methods. These polymers differ in the length of the saturated spacer connecting a bithiophene, thiophene-acetylene “donor” core to a bay-substituted perylene bisimide “acceptor”. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy enabled the correlation of the variations in charge separation and stabilization with conformational preferences and the folding behavior of the polymers. AFM images show that the polymer forms a maximum chain length of up to ~175 nm (up to ~140 monomers) and self-assembles on the hexagonal graphite lattice with a distinct threefold orientation. Notably, this study establishes a direct correlation between molecular conformation (linear vs. hanging configurations) and optoelectronic properties, deepening the understanding of how spatial orientation influences charge separation and stabilization dynamics.
Source: ChemRxiv
Authors: Sairam Dnyaneshwar Veer, Chandragopal Thanasekar, Nitika Kharbanda, Tanmay Goswami, Nidhi Rawat, Sunny M. P. Gautam, Himanshu Bhatt, Ipsita Parichha, Abdulla, Aswini Narayanan, Michael Moos, Christoph Lambert, Hirendra N. Ghosh, Thiruvancheril G. Gopakumar, Sukumaran Santhosh Babu, Narayanan, Santhosh Sukumaran
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222714912