TY - JOUR A1 - Farcas, Aurica A1 - Resmerita, Ana-Maria A1 - Stefanache, Andreea A1 - Balan, Mihaela A1 - Harabagiu, Valeria T1 - Synthesis and characterization of low-molecular-weight π-conjugated polymers covered by persilylated β-cyclodextrin JF - Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry PY - 2012/// VL - 8 SP - 1505 EP - 1514 SN - 1860-5397 DO - 10.3762/bjoc.8.170 PB - Beilstein-Institut JA - Beilstein J. Org. Chem. UR - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.8.170 KW - alternating fluorene-bithiophene copolymer KW - cyclodextrins KW - interlocked molecules KW - macrocycles KW - persilylated β-cyclodextrin KW - polyrotaxanes N2 - The paper reports the preparation of a poly[2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)-alt-5,5'-bithiophene/PS-βCD] (PDOF-BTc) polyrotaxane copolymer, through a Suzuki coupling reaction between the 5,5'-dibromo-2,2'-bithiophene (BT) inclusion complex with persilylated β-cyclodextrin (PS-βCD), and 9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-bis(trimethylene borate) (DOF) as the blocking group. The chemical structure and the thermal and morphological properties of the resulting polyrotaxane were investigated by using NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy, TGA, DSC and AFM analysis. The encapsulation of BT inside the PS-βCD cavity results in improvements in the solubility, as well as in different surface morphology and thermal properties of the PDOF-BTc rotaxane copolymer compared to its noncomplexed PDOF-BT homologue. In contrast, the number-average molecular weight (Mn) of PDOF-BTc rotaxane copolymer indicated lower values suggesting that the condensation reaction is subjected to steric effects of the bulkier silylated groups, affecting the ability of the diborate groups from the DOF molecule to partially penetrate the PS-βCD cavity. ER -