Interplay between structure and chiral properties of polyfluorene derivatives

Design of supramolecular organization to produce large optical activity involves multiple factors either internal as external. In this paper, we report on the synthesis, systematic study and theoretical modeling of a series of chiral polyfluorene derivatives, whereby we identify the main parameters controlling the chiroptical activity of polymer films. For each polymer, five empirical/theoretical properties were chosen, due to their effect on the chirality parameter: glass transition temperature, dissymmetry factor, molar mass, helix tightness and the inverse of interconversion energy. We introduce a radar graph exhibiting the influence of chirality metric on these five parameters and their interplay. The polygonal area in the radar graph and the chirality parameter presented a direct relationship. Such graph can provide pre-screening of polymer properties, based on both experimental measurements and theoretical considerations and help choosing the right combination of parameters, leading to a material with the best properties.