Electroluminescent materials and methods of manufacture and use

1. A composition comprising a light emitting polymer comprising a plurality of arylene monomeric units and a plurality of soft segment units comprising a plurality of soft segment end caps, wherein the soft segment end caps comprise poly(oxyalkylene) or poly(dialkylsiloxane) functionalities.

2. A composition comprising a light emitting polymer comprising a plurality of arylene monomeric units and a plurality of soft segment units comprising soft segment side chains coupled to a portion, but not all, of the arylene monomeric units, wherein the soft segment side chains comprise poly(oxyalkylene) or poly(dialkylsiloxane) functionalities.

3. A composition comprising a light emitting polymer comprising a plurality of arylene monomeric units and a plurality of soft segment units, wherein the plurality of soft segment units comprise a plurality of internal soft segment monomeric units, wherein the internal soft segment monomeric units comprise a functional group selected from oxyalkylene, poly(oxyalkylene), and poly(dialkylsiloxane) groups.

4. A composition comprising a light emitting polymer comprising a plurality of arylene monomeric units and a plurality of soft segment units independently selected from soft segment end caps; soft segment side chains coupled to a portion, but not all, of the arylene monomeric units; internal soft segment monomeric units; and combinations thereof, wherein the composition comprises a polymer selected from one of Formulas I to XVII:

wherein D 1 and D 2 are substituted or unsubstituted arylene moieties, each EC is independently a soft segment end cap group, X and Y are capping groups, Ar 1 and Ar 2 are independently selected from substituted and unsubstituted C6–C20 arylene, substituted and unsubstituted C2–C20 heteroarylene, and substituted and unsubstituted C18–C60 divalent triarylamines, k, l, m, n, and o are integers in the range of 2 to 1000, q is an integer in the range of 1 to 4, each Z 1 is independently a soft segment side chain, and each T is independently a soft segment moiety.

5. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the light emitting polymer is selected from the Formulas I to IV and each EC comprises an end cap group having the general formula

where Ar is substituted or unsubstituted arylene or substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylene, p is 0 or 1, R″ is a sterically hindering functional group, and Q is a soft segment moiety.

6. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the light emitting polymer is selected from the Formulas V to IX and each Z 1 is independently a soft segment side chain having the general formula

where Ar is substituted or unsubstituted arylene or substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylene, p is 0 or 1, R″ is substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, or substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl, and Q is a soft segment moiety.

7. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the light emitting polymer is selected from the Formulas X to XVII and each T includes independently two or more functional groups selected from ethers, fluoroalkylenes, perfluoroalkylenes, secondary or tertiary amines, thioethers, esters, dialkylsiloxanes, and dialkoxysiloxanes.

8. The composition of claim 7 , wherein each Q comprises a poly(oxyalkylene) or poly(dimethylsiloxane).

9. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the light emitting polymer is selected from Formulas II to X and XII to XVII and the light emitting polymer is a random copolymer.

10. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the light emitting polymer is selected from Formulas II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, XV, and XVII and the light emitting polymer is an alternating copolymer.

11. A composition comprising a light emitting polymer comprising a plurality of arylene monomeric units and a plurality of soft segment units independently selected from soft segment end caps; soft segment side chains coupled to a portion, but not all, of the arylene monomeric units; internal soft segment monomeric units; and combinations thereof, wherein the light emitting polymer is selected from Formulas I′ to XVII′:

wherein

R 1 , R 1 ′, R 3 , and R 3 ′ are independently hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted C1–C30 alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C6–C20 aryl, substituted or unsubstituted C3–C20 heteroaryl, or substituted or unsubstituted C1–C30 hydrocarbyl containing one or more S, N, O, P, or Si atoms;

R 2 , R 2 ′, R 4 and R 4 ′ are independently substituted or unsubstituted C1–C20 alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C6–C20 aryl, substituted or unsubstituted C3–C20 heteroaryl, or substituted or unsubstituted C1–C30 hydrocarbyl containing one or more S, N, O, P, or Si atoms;

a is independently in each occurrence 0 or 1;

each EC is independently a soft segment end cap group;

X and Y are capping groups;

Ar 1 and Ar 2 are independently selected from substituted and unsubstituted C6–C20 arylene, substituted and unsubstituted C2–C20 heteroarylene, and substituted and unsubstituted C18–C60 divalent triarylamines;

k, l, m, n, and o are integers in the range of 2 to 1000;

each Z 1 and Z 2 is independently a soft segment side chain; and

each T is independently a soft segment moiety.

12. A composition comprising a light emitting polymer comprising a plurality of arylene monomeric units and a plurality of soft segment units independently selected from soft segment end caps; soft segment side chains coupled to a portion, but not all, of the arylene monomeric units; internal soft segment monomeric units; and combinations thereof, wherein the composition comprises a light emitting polymer selected from Formulas I″ to XIII″:

wherein

R 1 , R 1 ′, R 3 , and R 3 ′ are independently hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted C1–C30 alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C6–C20 aryl, substituted or unsubstituted C3–C20 heteroaryl, or substituted or unsubstituted C1–C30 hydrocarbyl containing one or more S, N, O, P, or Si atoms;

R 2 , R 2 ′, R 4 and R 4 ′ are independently substituted or unsubstituted C1–C20 alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C6–C20 aryl, substituted or unsubstituted C3–C20 heteroaryl, or substituted or unsubstituted C1–C30 hydrocarbyl containing one or more S, N, O, P, or Si atoms;

a is independently in each occurrence 0 or 1;

each EC is independently a soft segment end cap group having the formula:

wherein Ar is substituted or unsubstituted arylene or substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylene, p is 0 or 1, R″ is a sterically hindering functional group selected from aryl, heteroaryl, and branched alkyl, and Q is a soft segment moiety having two or more functional groups selected from ethers, secondary or tertiary amines, thioethers, dialkylsiloxanes, and dialkoxysiloxanes;

X and Y are capping groups;

Ar 1 and Ar 2 are independently selected from substituted and unsubstituted C6–C20 arylene and substituted and unsubstituted C2–C20 heteroarylene;

k, l, m, n, and o are integers in the range of2 to 1000;

each Z 1 and Z 2 is independently a soft segment side chain having the formula:

wherein Ar is substituted or unsubstituted arylene or substituted or unsubstituted heteroarylene, p is 0 or 1, R″ is a sterically hindering functional group selected from aryl, heteroaryl, and alkyl, and Q is a soft segment moiety having two or more functional groups selected from ethers, secondary or tertiary amines, thioethers, dialkylsiloxanes, and dialkoxysiloxanes; and

each T is independently a soft segment moiety having two or more functional groups selected from ethers, secondary or tertiary amines, thioethers, dialkylsiloxanes, and dialkoxysiloxanes.

13. An electroluminescent device comprising a light emitting polymer comprising a plurality of arylene monomeric units and a plurality of soft segment units independently selected from soft segment end caps; soft segment side chains coupled to a portion, but not all, of the arylene monomeric units; internal soft segment monomeric units; and combinations thereof, wherein the light emitting polymer comprises a polymer selected from one of Formulas I to XVII:

wherein D 1 and D 2 are substituted or unsubstituted arylene moieties, each EC is independently a soft segment end cap group, X and Y are capping groups, Ar 1 and Ar 2 are independently selected from substituted and unsubstituted C6–C20 arylene, substituted and unsubstituted C2–C20 heteroarylene, and substituted and unsubstituted C18–C60 divalent triarylamines, k, l, m, n, and o are integers in the range of 2 to 1000, q is an integer in the range of 1 to 4, each Z 1 is independently a soft segment side chain, and each T is independently a soft segment moiety.