Self-assembly of conjugated rod-coil block copolymers

The self-assembly of conjugated rod-coil block copolymers has recently become one of the hot topics in the research of supramolecular chemistry. This article reviews the program on the self-assembly of conjugated rod-coil block copolymers with different rod blocks, including polyfluorene, polydi(styryl)-anthracene, poly(para-phenylene), poly (para-phenyleneethynylene) , poly (para-phenylenevinylene), poly (2, 5-benzophenone), polythiophene, poly (phenylquinoline), etc. The syntheses and photophysical properties of conjugated rod-coil block copolymers are introduced. The formation and regulation of well-defined one-, two-, or three-dimensional conjugated domains in nanoscale dimensions by the self-assembly of these copolymers in different solvents, temperature and concentration are reviewed emphatically. The potential applications of the self-assembly of conjugated rod-coil block copolymers in many fields, particularly in optoelectronic device, are summarized. Finally, the prospects for the self-assembly of conjugated rod-coil block copolymers are stated.