Tuning of Ferromagnetic Spin Interactions in Polymeric Aromatic Amines via Modification of Their π‑Conjugated System

Abstract

Polyarylamine containing <i>meta–para–para</i>-aniline units in the main chain and <i>meta–para</i>-aniline units in the pendant chains was synthesized. The polymer can be oxidized to radical cations in chemical or electrochemical ways. The presence of <i>meta</i>-phenylenes in the polymer chemical structure allows for the ferromagnetic coupling of electronic spins, which leads to the formation of high spin states. Detailed pulsed-EPR study indicates that the <i>S</i> = 2 spin state was reached for the best oxidation level. Quantitative magnetization measurements reveal that the doped polymer contains mainly <i>S</i> = 2 spin states and a fraction of <i>S</i> = 3/2 spin states. The efficiency of the oxidation was determined to be 74%. To the best of our knowledge, this polymer is the first example of a linear doped polyarylamine combining such high spin states with high doping efficiency