Synthesis and Color Tuning of Poly(p-phenylenevinylene) Containing Terphenyl Units for Light Emitting Diodes

New PPV based conjugated polymers, containing terphenyl units, were prepared as the electroluminescent (EL) layer in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The prepared polymers, poly[2,5-bis(4-(2-etylhexyloxy)phenyl)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (BEHP-PPV), poly[2-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-5-(4-(4-(2-etylhexyloxy)phenyl)phenyl)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (EEPP-PPV) and poly[2-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-5-(9,9-bis(2-etylhexyl)fluorenyl)-1,4 phenylenevinylene] (EHF-PPV), were soluble in common organic solvents and used as the EL layer in double layer light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (ITO/PEDOT/polymer/Al). The polymers were prepared by the Gilch reaction. The number-average molecular weight $(M_n)$, weight-average molecular weight $(M_w)$, and the polydispersities (PDI) of these polymers were in the range of 9000-58000, 27000-231000, 2.9-3.9, respectively. These polymers have quite good thermal stability with decomposition starting above 320-350. The polymers show photoluminescence (PL) with maximum peaks at around 526-562 nm (exciting wavelength, 410 nm) and blue EL with maximum peaks at around $\lambda_{max}$ = 526-552 nm. The current-voltageluminance (I-V-L) characteristics of polymers show turn-on voltages of 5 V. Even though both of EEPP-PPV and BEHP-PPV have the same terphenyl group in the repeating unit, EEPP-PPV with directly substituted alkoxy group in the back bone has longer effective conjugation length than BEHP-PPV, and exhibits red shift in the PL spectra. Both of EEPP-PPV and EHF-PPV have ter-phenyl units and directly substituted alkoxy group in back bone. EHF-PPV with fluorenyl unit attached to the PPV backbone has shorter effective conjugation length than EEPP-PPV with biphenyl unit, and exhibits blue shift in the PL spectra.