Preparation of stimulus‐responsive, polyfluorene‐wrapped carbon nanotubes via palladium cross coupling

ABSTRACT Decoration of carbon nanotube surfaces without damaging nanotube optoelectronic properties is an ongoing challenge. Here, we utilize Sonogashira coupling chemistry to decorate the nanotube surface without perturbing optoelectronic properties. Reactive, noncovalently functionalized polymer–nanotube complexes were prepared using a polyfluorene with aryl iodide groups in its side chains. The aryl iodides enable Pd cross coupling between polymer–nanotube complexes and small molecules or polymers derivatized with an alkyne. Modestly efficient coupling was found to occur under dilute conditions at elevated temperatures. Successful coupling between aryl iodide and alkyne partners was observed using infrared spectroscopy via the appearance of carbonyl stretches that originate from covalently linked, carbonyl‐containing alkynes, and thermogravimetric analysis was used to measure reaction conversion under various conditions. Grafting of the hydrophobic polymer–nanotube complex with poly(ethylene glycol) enabled the dispersion to be transferred from organic to aqueous solution. This chemistry resulted in no damage to the nanotube sidewall, as evidenced by Raman spectroscopy. The aryl iodide‐containing polyfluorene–nanotube complex was also coupled to a photoswitchable alkyne‐containing spiropyran moiety and it was found that the photoswitch retained its functionality after coupling to the polymer–nanotube complex. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56 , 2723–2729