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ON-SURFACE CHEMISTRY

Topological engineering for metallic polymers

Nature Nanotechnology volume 15, pages 421–423 (2020)Cite this article

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Chemical bond selection tunes the topological class of one-dimensional polymers towards organic metals.

Now, writing in Nature Nanotechnology, Borja Cirera and co-workers find a strategy to synthesize polymers with engineered topologies by tuning their π-conjugation3. Their approach can be depicted with another simple conjugated polymer, poly-paraphenylene. The polymer holds two resonant structures of distinct conjugation, namely an aromatic and a quinoid form (Fig. 1b). Ramping up the polymer’s complexity, the authors use acenes or periacenes functionalized with =CBr2 groups to build linear polymers via their surface-supported linkage. After halogen removal by thermal activation, the remaining radicals bind to neighbouring molecules forming a cumulene bond (Fig. 1c)4. The created polymer again possesses two resonant structures; a change in the conjugation of the central peri/acenes’ rings from a quinoid to an aromatic structure bears a simultaneous transformation of the cumulene into an ethynylene bridge (Fig. 1c). Modifications of the central unit can now tune the balance between the cumulene–quinoid and the ethynylene–aromatic structure. The authors prove that the two conjugation forms are associated with different topological classes and that the transition occurs as a function of the repeating unit’s size. With pentacene and bisanthene molecules the polymers are closest to the topological inversion point. Because the transition between the two topological classes must proceed via a metallic state, such polymeric chains should display a close-to-zero band gap, fulfilling the long-lasting dream of intrinsically conducting polymers.

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Fig. 1: Conjugation changes in polymers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Física de Materiales (CSIC-UPV/EHU), San Sebastián, Spain

    Martina Corso

  2. Donostia International Physics Center, San Sebastián, Spain

    Dimas G. de Oteyza

  3. Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain

    Dimas G. de Oteyza

Authors
  1. Martina Corso
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  2. Dimas G. de Oteyza
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Correspondence to Martina Corso or Dimas G. de Oteyza.

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Corso, M., de Oteyza, D.G. Topological engineering for metallic polymers. Nat. Nanotechnol. 15, 421–423 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-020-0667-8

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