Tuning the optical properties of poly(o-phenylenediamine-co-pyrrole) via template mediated copolymerization

Tailoring of conjugated monomers via copolymerization is a facile method to obtain tunable spectral, morphological and optical properties. To investigate the effect of copolymerization of pyrrole with o-phenylenediamine on the optoelectronic properties of the synthesized copolymers, the present work reports the synthesis of copolymers of o-phenylenediamine with pyrrole with varying mol ratios via chemical polymerization in methylene blue (MB) medium. Copolymerization was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible studies. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy revealed variation in the optical properties with the change in the monomer ratio. Fluorescence studies showed that the copolymer containing 80% poly(o-phenylenediamine) revealed highest quantum yield among all the copolymers. The emission color could therefore be tuned by careful selection of narrow band co-monomers, which could help in designing tunable fluorescence emitting materials for potential application in OLED devices.