[en] We have performed a quantum-chemical investigation on the conformations and electronic properties of a variety of methoxy-substitute poly(p-phenylenevinylenes) (PPVs) to elucidate the effects of alkoxy substitution. Geometrical parameters for the polymers were fully optimized through Austin Model 1 (AM1) semi-empirical Hartree-Fock (HF) band calculations. Electronic properties of the polymers were obtained by applying the AM1 optimized structures to the modified extended Hueckel method. To confirm validity of the AM1 conformational results, we also carried out ab initio HF calculations with the 6-31G (d) basis set for a variety of methoxy-substituted divinylbenzenes. It is found that the potential energy surfaces of alkoxy-substituted PPVs are quite shallow around the planar conformations, suggesting that the prepared films possess a variety of conformations with different torsion angle in the solid state, depending on the synthetic conditions, When two alkoxy groups are con-currently substituted at the adjacent sites in the phenylene ring, these group are subject to rotating around the C(sp²)-O bonds by 70-80.deg. to avoid the strong steric repulsion between them. Consequently, the overlap between the π-type p orbital of oxygen and the π molecular orbitals of the polymer decreases. This leads to a wide gap and a high oxidation potential for tetramethoxy-substituted PPV, compared to those of dialkoxy-substituted PPV

[en] A quantum-chemical study of conformations and electronic structures of polyheterocyclic derivatives with vinylenediheteroatom substituents at the 3- and 4- positions was performed to search for novel blue-light-emitting conjugated polymers. Conformational potential energy curves of the polymers were constructed as a function of the helical angle (a) through semiempirical Hartree-Fock band calculations at the Austin model 1 level. It is found that poly(3,4-vinylenedioxythiophene) possesses a quite flat curve in the range of α = 51 .4 .deg. - 120 .deg. . Replacing S atoms for O atoms greatly increases repulsion between the neighboring units, and thereby the units become perpendicular to one another. Because of the hydrogen bonding between O and NH, poly(3,4-vinylenedioxpyrrole) is predicted to e anti-coplanar and poly(3,4-vinylenediaminofuran) to be nearly anti-coplanar. According to the modified extended Huckel band calculations, the HOMO-LUMO gaps (HLGs) of the polymers, unless the polymer chains are twisted, are close to or slightly smaller than those of their respective mother polymers. Among the polymers, poly(3,4-vinylenedioxythiophene) is presumed to be the most probable candidate for a blue-light emitter because its HLG is within the range of the electronic requirement for blue-light emitters

[en] We have investigated substituent effect on the stabilization energies, and nucleus-independent chemical shifts of pentafulvalenes and on the electronic structures of the corresponding polypentafulvalenes to design environmentally stable semiconductive or conductive polymers. Geometrical optimizations of the molecules were carried out at the density functional level of theory with B3LYP hybrid functional and 6-311+G(d) basis set. Stabilization energies were estimated using isodesmic and homodesmotic reactions. As a criterion of aromaticity nucleus-independent chemical shifts of the molecules were computed using GIAO approach. For the polymers the geometrical parameters were optimized through AM1 band calculations and the electronic structures were obtained through modified extended Huckel band calculations. It is found that strong electronwithdrawing substituents increase isodesmic and homodesmotic stabilization energies of pentafulvalene, though it does not increase the aromaticity. Nitro-substituted pentafulvalene is estimated to have stabilization energy as much as azulene. However, substitution either with electron-donating groups or with electronwithdrawing groups does not significantly affect the electronic structures of polypentafulvalene and poly (vinylenedioxypentafulvalene)