Donor-acceptor truxene-based porous polymers: synthesis, optoelectronic characterization and defense-related applications

Abstract

Four donor-acceptor (D-A) polymers are synthesized by combining two different electron donors (truxene and its more electron rich triaza analogue, triindole) with an electron-deficient monomer (benzothiadiazole) through two different positions (2,7,13 or 3,8,13) and their optoelectronic properties are studied by theoretical and experimental methods. One of the polymers exhibits remarkable sensing capabilities for explosive nitraoaromatics while another demonstrated efficient photocatalytic activity in the aerobic sulfoxidation of the sulfur mustard simulant 2-chloro-ethyl ethyl sulfide (MGS) sulfoxidation. These results highlight their potential applications in defense-related areas. Moreover, the structure-performance relationships observed among the four polymers have enabled us to deepen the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the performance of these polymers in the aforementioned applications, thereby providing valuable insights to further improve their properties.