Progress in side-chain thiophene-containing polymers: synthesis, properties and applications

In contrast to conventional main-chain conjugated polymers, incorporation of electronically active conjugated oligomers into non-conjugated polymer backbones as pendant groups represents a promising alternative strategy to developing novel electroactive polymer materials that are desirable for potential applications in organic electronics. This review focuses on polymers with thiophene in the side chain and summarizes the most important synthetic approaches to these polymers, including direct controlled polymerization techniques (e.g., ATRP, ROMP, and RAFT) as well as post-polymerization modifications. Additionally, various properties and applications of these polymers are discussed.