A new high-molecular-weight, soluble, wholly aromatic polyether bearing polar pyridine and phosphinoxide groups along the main chain is presented. This easily processable polyether presents excellent film-forming properties, high glass-transition temperature (up to 260 °C), and thermal stability up to 500 °C, all together combined with an ability to form ionically conductive materials after doping with phosphoric acid. The polar groups throughout the polymeric chains enable high acid uptake and subsequent high ionic conductivity for the doped membranes in the range of 10 -2 S/cm. Characterization of all polymeric materials prepared was performed using NMR, size exclusion chromatography, thermal and mechanical analysis, and conductivity measurements. The oxidative stability of the materials was studied using hydrogen peroxide, and the treated membranes were further characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis and FT-Raman spectroscopy. The conductivity of the doped membranes was determined as a function of the doping level. The temperature dependence of the conductivity was also studied.

Novel side chain dendritic aromatic-aliphatic polyethers are synthesized from aromatic terphenyl diols, disubstituted with Fre ´chet-type dendrons of the first and second generation and aliphatic dibromides of various lengths. High-molecular-weight soluble polymers were obtained in all cases. The bulk properties of the polymers were examined by means of thermal analyses (DSC), dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA), and X-ray diffractometry. Separation between the main chain and the dendritic side chains was evident due to the existence of two well-resolved glass transition temperatures, observed by both DSC and DMA measurements.

A novel monomer incorporating the quinoline moiety as the side group was synthesized and polymerized by employing free radical as well as atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) techniques. In the latter case, two different initiators were used, resulting in dibenzyloxy-or dimethylester-end-functionalized polyquinolines. All polymers were characterized primarily using 1 H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, UV-vis photoluminescence spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. A systematic luminescence study was performed in different solvents and concentrations, showing that the optical properties of the newly synthesized polymers depend on both the solution's concentration and the ionic strength of the solvent. In addition, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques also confirmed the close correlation between the film morphology and the solvent used for their preparation.