C–H Arylation in the Synthesis of π-Conjugated Polymers

Sabin-Lucian Suraru, Jason A. Lee, and Christine K. Luscombe

ACS Macro Letters,
2016, 5, 724-729; 10.1021/acsmacrolett.6b00279

05/2016

In this Viewpoint article the Luscombe group outline the impact that the development of C–H Functionalization tools for the construction of important conducting building blocks and polymerization could have on the field, significantly reducing waste streams, increasing step economy and gaining access to a broad range of previously in-accessible structural motifs.

While the current technology for the construction of conducting conjugated polymers relies on classical cross-coupling strategies recent studies have begun to reveal the potential impact C–H Functionalization could have. This summary discusses the challenges ahead to bring this chemistry to the forefront of the field and puts into context some of the recent progress in this area.