Scientists in Vienna have managed to identify a new chemical synthesis process for the production of S-PPV’s, a specific type of polymer that has been regarded as almost impossible to produce from a technical perspective.
PPV’s have superb technological properties, and can interact with light in such a way that they are of great interest for use in solar cells or LED’s, and have a long, solid hydrocarbon structure to which certain side groups are attached.
By choosing different side groups, it is possible to set the electronic properties of the material.
Until now, O-PPV’s have been used for this, and there are PPV’s whose side groups are linked to the rest of the polymer via an oxygen atom.
Florian Glocklhofer, from the Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry at Vienna University of Technology, said: “If it is possible to replace oxygen side groups with sulphur side groups, this creates a new polymer, an S-PPV, which has significantly improved properties. We knew that this could lead to improvements in the transport of electrical current and that this would significantly improve overall stability of the polymer.”
“It was important for us to develop a synthesising method that was both simple and low-cost, with as few synthesis steps a possible, and without the need for expensive special catalysts. Ultimately, we want to produce materials that can be used in industrial applications. S-PPV can only be commercially successful if the production costs do not exceed a certain level.”
The new synthesis method has now been with the help of the Vienna University of Technology’s Research and Transfer Support.
The method can be scaled up for industrial quantities, is easily reproducible and delivers a product that not only offers improved electronic properties, but also improved stability.
Additionally, S-PPV’s are also relatively non-toxic and biocompatible, making them excellent candidates for use in medical applications.