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Regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) has been successfully incorporated into various poly( N, N-dimethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate)-based block copolymers, i.e., P3HT- b-PDMAEMA, via Grignard metathesis (GRIM) method and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) reactions. The structure of the diblock copolymers was fully confirmed by FT-IR, H NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). The recovered copolymers could be treated by protonation of the pending tertiary amine functions and depending on the relative content in PDMAEMA, the copolymers could be solubilized in more polar solvents where P3HT alone proved to be totally insoluble. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we describe the design and characterization of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene)-poly(ε-caprolactone) di- and tri-block copolymers (RRP3HT-b-PCL and PCL-b-RRP3HT-b-PCL). The well-controlled synthesis of (di)hydroxyl-terminated RRP3HT makes possible to design block copolymer structures with a narrow molecular weight distribution. The microscopic morphology is investigated by atomic force microscopy, which reveals self-assembled fibrillar structures with the RRP3HT nanoribbons separated by narrow domains of insulating PCL. The charge transport properties are characterized in thin films field-effect transistors, and comparison between the devices performances is carried out in view of the nanoscale morphology within the transistor channel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]