Poly(fluorene)-type materials are widely used in polymer-based light emitting devices. In their pristine state, they emit in the deep blue spectral region. During operation there appears, however, an additional emission peak at around 2.3 eV. This observation has usually been attributed to aggregate or excimer formation. Recently, it has been shown that photo- and/or electro-oxidation of poly(fluorene) chains resulting in ketonic defects (i.e., formation of fluorenone groups) can also be held responsible for emission in that spectral region. In this contribution, we apply quantum-chemical techniques to gain a detailed understanding of the optical properties of poly(fluorene)s containing ketonic defects. In particular, we compare model systems for poly(fluorene) with their ketone-containing counterparts, focusing on the influence of excited-state localization effects. The results of the theoretical calculations are confirmed by experimental investigations on statistical copolymers of fluorene and 9-fluorenone.

The low emission band at 2.2–2.3 eV in polyfluorene‐based conjugated materials is studied by various spectroscopic methods on defined copolymers of 9–9′‐difarnesyl‐fluorene with 9‐fluorenone, which can be seen as a model compound for degraded polyfluorenes. Absorption, electroluminescence, and photoluminescence in the film (temperature‐dependent) and solution (room temperature) reveal the optical properties of this low‐energy emission band emerging in polyfluorene‐type polymers upon degradation. All the experimental evidence presented yield direct evidence against excimer or aggregate formation as the primary source of the low‐energy emission band. Instead keto defect sites can be shown to be responsible for the emissive defect.

No abstract

No abstract

Electrically induced phosphorescence from a poly(para-phenylene) ladder-type polymer is observed for the first time and characterized using time resolved spectroscopy. Short-lived phosphorescence is also observed in gated fluorescence spectra and is found to be quenched reversibly by oxygen. Thermally activated triplet diffusion to covalently bound palladium sites, which are formed at a concentration of about 80 ppm in a side reaction during polymer synthesis, is believed to be the cause of this novel effect, which suggests a new approach to the design of efficient electroluminescent materials.