The bottom-up synthesis of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs)
offers a
promising approach for designing atomically precise GNRs with tuneable
photophysical properties, but controlling their length remains a challenge.
Herein, we report an efficient synthetic protocol for producing length-controlled
armchair GNRs (AGNRs) through living Suzuki–Miyaura catalyst-transfer
polymerization (SCTP) using RuPhos–Pd catalyst and mild graphitization
methods. Initially, SCTP of a dialkynylphenylene monomer was optimized
by modifying boronates and halide moieties on the monomers, affording
poly(2,5-dialkynyl-p-phenylene) (PDAPP) with controlled
molecular weight (M
n up to 29.8k) and
narrow dispersity (Đ = 1.14–1.39) in
excellent yield (>85%). Subsequently, we successfully obtained N = 5 AGNRs by employing a mild alkyne benzannulation reaction
on the PDAPP precursor and confirmed their length retention by size-exclusion
chromatography. In addition, photophysical characterization revealed
that a molar absorptivity was directly proportional to the length
of the AGNR, while its highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy
level remained constant within the given AGNR length. Furthermore,
we prepared, for the very first time, N = 5 AGNR
block copolymers with widely used donor or acceptor-conjugated polymers
by taking advantage of the living SCTP. Finally, we achieved the lateral
extension of AGNRs from N = 5 to 11 by oxidative
cyclodehydrogenation in solution and confirmed their chemical structure
and low band gap by various spectroscopic analyses.