Conjugated polymers have been widely recognized as promising materials for use in biosensors, thin film transistors, light-emitting diodes, and solar energy conversion. Recent advances in synthesis techniques render the design of functional rod-coil block copolymers composed of conjugated block (rod-like) and coil block covalently linked at one end. A variety of P3HT based rod-coil block copolymers has been designed and synthesized, based on atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) or reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT), to realize functional assembly. In stark contrast to rod-coil block copolymers that have been studied extensively, the research on all conjugated block copolymers (i.e., rod-rod) is limited, only a few have been reported. The synthesis and self-assembly of rod-rod block copolymers that combine intriguing nanostructures and electronic activity offer expanded flexibility for realizing high-performance semiconducting architectures with improved environmental stability and mechanical properties.
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