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Soluble poly(para‐phenylene) having a long polymer chain (more than six repeat units) was synthesized with a tert‐butyl end‐group (t‐PPP) and was found to have improved solubility and excellent optical properties. Poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene) (PCHD) consisting of only 1,4‐cyclohexadiene (1,4‐CHD) units was synthesized with a tert‐butyl end‐group (t‐PCHD), and completely dehydrogenated to obtain t‐PPP. This end‐group effectively prevented the crystallization of t‐PPP, and polymers containing up to 16 repeat units were soluble in tetrahydrofuran. Soluble t‐PPP obtained had an ability to form a tough thin film prepared by spin‐coating method. Optical analyses of t‐PPP provided strong evidence for a linear polymer chain structure. A block copolymer of t‐PPP and a soluble polyphenylene (PPH) was then synthesized, and the excellent optical properties were retained by this block copolymer along with its solubility. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5223–5231, 2008

Three types of fullerene (C 60 )-end-capped poly(4-diphenylaminostyrene) (C 60 -PDAS) and poly(4-diphenylaminostyrene) (PDAS) blends were prepared to investigate their potential as bipolar polymer semiconductors. The concentration of C 60 in the C 60 -PDAS/PDAS blends strongly affected the hole and electron drift mobility values; the hole drift mobility decreased with an increase in the C 60 concentration. However, the electron drift mobility increased with an increase in the C 60 concentration. The hole and electron drift mobility values were almost the same for the 1/2 C 60 -PDAS/PDAS blend; therefore, this polymer blend was thought to be a bipolar polymer semiconductor.

ω‐Anthracenyl‐functionalized soluble polyphenylene (AN‐SPP) with a well‐controlled polymer chain was synthesized. The optical and electrical properties were strongly affected by the anthracenyl end‐group. The UV absorption and photoluminescence emission were enhanced and shifted toward the longer wavelength region in comparison to that of soluble polyphenylene. The optical band gap energies of the main chain and the anthracenyl end‐group were 3.15 and 3.89 eV, respectively. The highest occupied molecular orbital/lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels of the main chain and the anthracenyl end‐group of AN‐SPP were −4.98/−1.81 eV and −7.25/−3.36 eV, respectively. The current–voltage characteristics of AN‐SPP were controllable by the presence of the anthracenyl end‐group. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.