• conjugated polymers
• anthracene
• anthraquinone
• OFETs
• electrochromic
• optical properties

During this thesis work we investigated synthesis and characterization of conjugated polymers incorporating 9,10-diethynyl-anthracene or anthraquinone units connected by different linkers, with a focus on their potential applications in organic electronic devices.
To obtain these polymers, we opted for a non-conjugated precursor-based approach, achieved through Stille polymerization of the corresponding monomers. This strategy allowed us to overcome typical challenges linked to their low solubility, resulting in high molecular weight and processable polymers. The obtained precursors were labelled as “multipotent” since, unlike other studies reported in the existing literature, a single precursor could be employed to generate two distinct final target materials through fast and high-yielding reactions. Specifically, these transformations were applicable both in solutions and to powders and thin films, enabling their integration into devices fabrication.
The success of the synthetic processes was confirmed by several characterization techniques, including NMR, IR-ATR, GPC and TGA. Furthermore, extensive optical characterization via UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy provided insights into optoelectronic properties, either in different solvent mixtures or on thin films.
Anthracene-containing polymers were tested in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) to better understand how the nature of the precursor and its morphology could affect charge mobility in working devices. Conversely, their anthraquinone analogues found application in the development of electrochromic devices (ECDs), leveraging their highly-reversible redox activity and distinct colorations assumed under different applied potentials.