Synthesis and optical properties of poly[(4-(benzoxazole-2-yl)phenyl)methyl methacrylate] with 1,8-naphthalimide end group

A series of homopolymers, poly(4-(benzoxazole-2-yl)phenyl)methyl methacrylate] (NAPH-PMABEs) containing benzoxazole side chain and 1,8-naphthalimide end group, were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and end-group modification. The structure of NAPH-PMABE was characterized by GPC, ¹H-NMR and UV-vis spectra. The polymer has good solubility in common organic solvents, such as dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂), tetrahydrofuran (THF), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), chloroform (CHCl₃), acetone and toluene. The optical properties of NAPH-PMABE were investigated. Results show that NAPH-PMABE has a composite emission spectrum comprising an ultraviolet component originating from benzoxazole side chains and a green component originating from 1,8-naphthalimide end group in both solution and film. The intensity of the two emission bands can be easily tuned by changing molecular weight. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20476066 and 20571054), Science and Technology Project in Suzhou, China (Grant No. SG0718), and Project of High Technology of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BG2005021)