Green Materials for Green Energy

Conjugated polymers have received a lot of attention since they combine the best features of metals or semiconductors with those of synthetic polymers. On this basis, this class of materials can lead to printable and flexible photovoltaic devices as well as other plastic electronic devices. Along these lines, we will describe novel synthetic methodologies for a simple and “green” preparation of such well-defined conjugated polymers. These new synthetic methods are based on direct (hereto)arylation reactions that allow the formation of carbon-carbon bonds between heteroarenes and aryl halides. They do not require organometallic intermediates thereby significantly reducing synthetic steps, metallic by-products, and cost.