Aminopyridine-containing supramolecular polydiacetylene: film formation, thermochromism and micropatterning

Abstract

Polydiacetylenes (PDAs) are intrinsically supramolecular conjugated polymers that are prepared by polymerisation of self-assembled diacetylene (DA) supramolecules. Owing to their highly aggregating nature and insolubility, fabrication of transparent and homogeneous films has been challenging. By taking advantage of multiple hydrogen bonding, a transparent and thin PDA film was readily prepared with an aminopyridine-containing DA monomer. The PDA film displayed an irreversible blue-to-red colour change between 30 and 90 degrees C and a reversible red-to-yellow thermochromism between 30 and 190 degrees C. Micropatterned colour and fluorescence PDA images were readily fabricated by employing a simple photolithographic approach.

[GRAPHICS] . By taking advantage of multiple hydrogen bonding, a transparent and thin polydiacetylene (PDA) film was readily prepared with an aminopyridine-containing DA monomer. Thermochromism and micropatterning properties of the thin film were also investigated.