Recent Progress in Synthesis of Conjugated Ladder Polymers

Abstract

Conjugated ladder polymers (cLPs) are macromolecules consisting of fully fused aromatic backbones, which have emerged as an intriguing research area due to their unique electronic and optoelectronic properties. They possess a highly ordered, ladder-like structure, which leads to improved charge transport properties and enhanced stability compared to conventional conjugated polymers. The synthesis of cLPs involves two main strategies: single-step ladderization and stepwise ladderization. However, due to the extremely low solubility of the desired cLPs and the limited synthetic methods for preparing defect-free cLPs, the field of solution-based synthesis and processing of cLPs encountered synthetic and processing challenges. This review provides an overview of recent achievements in the synthesis of conjugated ladder polymers, emphasizing the challenges and potential in this fascinating field of research. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.