Self-supporting flexible poly(1-naphaneneboronic acid) film as green light-emitting material

The flexible conducting polymer films (FCPs) with fused ring structure is of great significance in the field of flexible electronics, yet their preparation is challenging. The mechanical properties can be improved by introducing boric acid groups to FCPs. Herein, free-standing poly (1-naphaneneboronic acid) (PNBA) film with a conductivity of 3 x 10(-4) S cm(-1) is readily prepared by electrochemical polymerization of 1-naphaneneboronic acid. The PNBA film exhibits good redox activity and electrochemical stability. Fourier transform infrared spectrum proves that polymerization site of the as-prepared PNBA occurs at C-5 and C-8 positions. The UV-Vis spectrum proves that the optical band gap of PNBA is 2.76 eV. In addition, thermal analysis reveals that the polymer displays excellent thermal stability. Fluorescence spectroscopy results show that PNBA film is a good green light-emitting material. These characteristics indicate that free-standing flexible PNBA film has potential applications in flexible electronic semiconductors, fluorescent materials and electrochemical sensors.