Organization of Chromophores into Multiblock Bottlebrush Nanofibers Allows for Regulation of Energy Transfer Processes

Consisting of polymeric side chains attached covalently to a linear polymeric backbone, bottlebrush copolymers provide a route to multicomponent nanoscale structures that remain nanosegregated regardless of environmental conditions. This perspective highlights recent work on the preparation of bottlebrush polymers from optoelectronic materials, creating a new class of multicomponent nanofibers from organic semiconductors. Bottlebrush copolymers have been synthesized from polythiophenes and polyselenophenes as well as from materials commonly found in the charge transport or emissive layers of organic light-emitting diodes. This perspective showcases the significance of preparing robust nanofibers from general, electronically functional building blocks. Further, we discuss how the bottlebrush architecture can be used to control optoelectronic interactions in these materials, giving unique photonic properties that can be both reversibly switched and temporally resolved. Key areas of focus for future research are also presented in this rapidly growing field.