C–H/C–I direct arylation reactions for monomer synthesis and C–H/C–Br direct arylation polycondensation were investigated for the short-step synthesis of promising medium-bandgap polymers (PBDB-T) for OPV applications. Polycondensation and end-capping reactions using direct arylation have been established, enabling the synthesis of polymers without Br termini. The OPV performance of the synthesized polymer was lower than that of the benchmark polymer synthesized using the conventional method, despite having similar molecular weights. Possible factors for low OPV performance and future challenges include structural defects, impurities, and large molecular weight distribution.
- Junpei Kuwabara
- Kota Hiyaji
- Takaki Kanbara
