Compositions, methods, and systems comprising fluorous-soluble polymers

1. A polymer, comprising:

a conjugated pi-backbone, the pi-backbone comprising a plane of atoms; and

a first group and a second group attached to the pi-backbone, the first group having a first fixed height above the plane and the second group having a second fixed height below the plane wherein the sum of the first and second heights is at least 4.5 Å,

wherein the polymer has a fluorine content of greater than 60% by mass.

2. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a polyarylene ethynylene.

3. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the a sum of the first and second heights is at least 5.0 Å, is at least 5.5 Å, is at least 6.0 Å, or is at least 6.5 Å.

4. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the pi-backbone is essentially free from pi-stacking.

5. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises at least one iptycene repeating unit incorporated into the polymer.

6. The polymer of claim 5 , wherein the iptycene repeating unit incorporated into the polymer has the structure:

wherein each R 20 can be the same or different and is hydrogen, alkyl, heteroalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms;

each W is CH or CH 2 ; and

each is a single or double bond.

7. The polymer of claim 5 , wherein the iptycene repeating unit incorporated into the polymer has the structure:

wherein each R 2 -R 5 may be the same or different and is hydrogen, alkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkoxy, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms;

each W 1 -W 4 can be the same or different and is CH or CH 2 ; and

each is a single or double bond.

8. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises a repeating unit having the structure:

wherein each R 20 can be the same or different and is hydrogen, alkyl, heteroalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms.

9. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises a repeating unit having the structure:

wherein each R 20 can be the same or different and is hydrogen, alkyl, heteroalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms.

10. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises a pi-backbone comprising the structure:

wherein A, C, L, and Q are aromatic groups;

B, D, K, and T are selected from the group consisting of a carbon-carbon double bond and a carbon-carbon triple bond,

a, b, s, and v are integers which can be the same or different and are 0-4, provided not all of a, b, s, and v are zero; and

n is less than 10,000,

wherein at least one of E, F, M, and P comprises the first and second group;

wherein at least one of E, F, M, and P includes a bicyclic ring system having aromatic or non-aromatic groups; and

wherein each E, F, M, and P group is or is optionally substituted by one or more R 22 wherein each R 22 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkoxy, aryl, and heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms.

11. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises the structure:

wherein each R 2 -R 17 can be the same or different and is hydrogen, alkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkoxy, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms;

each W 1 -W 4 can be the same or different and is CH or CH 2 ; and

n is less than 10,000.

12. The polymer of claim 11 , wherein each W 1 and each W 3 is CH; or each W 2 and each W 4 is CH; or each W 1 -W 4 is CH.

13. The polymer of claim 11 , wherein:

each R 2 and each R 4 is alkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkoxy, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms; and

each R 3 and each R 5 is hydrogen.

14. The polymer of claim 11 , wherein each R 2 and each R 4 is alkyl, optionally fluorinated.

15. The polymer of claim 11 , wherein each of R 6 -R 9 is hydrogen and/or each of R 14 -R 17 is hydrogen.

16. The polymer of claim 11 , wherein:

R 10 and R 13 are alkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkoxy, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms; and

R 11 and R 12 are hydrogen.

17. The polymer of claim 11 , wherein:

R 11 and R 12 are alkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkoxy, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms; and

R 10 and R 13 are hydrogen.

18. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer has the structure:

wherein each R 18 and each R 19 is alkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkoxy, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms.

19. The polymer of claim 18 , wherein the polymer has the structure:

wherein n is less than 10,000.

20. The polymer of claim 18 , wherein the polymer has the structure:

wherein each R 18 and R 23 is alkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroalkoxy, aryl, and heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms;

wherein n is less than 10,000; and

k is an integer between 1-100, or between 1-50, or between 1-20, or between 1-10, or between 1-5.

21. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises at least one monomer having the structure:

wherein each G, H, I and J are the same or different and are aromatic or cycloalkyl groups, optionally substituted;

d is 1 or 2;

each d 1 is 0 or 1, such that when d 1 =0, d 2 =0, and when d 1 =1, d 2 =0 or 1;

and c is any number between 1 and 10,000.

22. The polymer of claim 21 , wherein G and H are the same or different and are selected from the following aromatic groups:

23. The polymer of claim 21 , wherein I and J are the same or different and are selected from the following groups:

24. The polymer of claim 21 , wherein any hydrogen in G, H, I, and J may be optionally substituted by one or more R 21 , wherein each R 21 can be the same or different and is hydrogen, alkyl, heteroalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, any of which is optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms.

25. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises at least one fluoroalkyl group selected from the group consisting of —C 2 F 5 , —CH 2 CF 3 , —C 3 F 7 , —(CH 2 ) 2 CF 3 , —C 4 F 9 , —(CH 2 ) 2 (CF 2 )CF 3 , —(CH 2 ) 3 CF 3 , —(CH 2 ) 2 (CHF)CF 3 , —C 5 F 11 , —(CH 2 ) 2 (CF 2 ) 2 CF 3 , —C 6 F 13 , —(CH 2 ) 2 (CF 2 ) 3 CF 3 , —(CH 2 ) 2 (CF 2 ) 4 CF 3 , —C 7 F 15 , —(CH 2 ) 2 (CF 2 ) 5 CF 3 , —(CH 2 ) 2 (CF 2 ) 9 CF 3 , —(CH 2 ) 3 (CF 2 ) 4 CF 3 , —(CH 2 ) 2 (CF 2 ) 2 (CF 3 CF 2 CF 2 )CF(CF 2 ) 2 CF 3 , —C 8 F 17 , —C 9 F 19 , —C 10 F 21 , —C 11 F 23 , and —C 12 F 25 .

26. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises the group (CH 2 CH 2 O) k R 23 , wherein k is an integer between 1-100, or between 1-50, or between 1-20, or between 1-10, or between 1-5, and R 23 is hydrogen, alkyl, heteroalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, each optionally substituted.

27. An emulsion, comprising:

a non-fluorous continuous phase;

a fluorous non-continuous phase; and

a polymer of claim 1 substantially contained within the fluorous non-continuous phase.

28. An emulsion, comprising:

a non-fluorous continuous phase and a fluorous non-continuous phase, wherein a fluorous/non-fluorous interface is present between the fluorous and the non-fluorous phase; and

a polymer of claim 1 arranged at the interface.

29. A method of determining, treating, or imaging a condition and/or disease in a subject, comprising:

providing an emulsion, comprising:

a fluorous non-continuous phase;

a non-fluorous continuous phase;

at least one surfactant;

at least one surface-altering moiety; and

a polymer of claim 1 , wherein the polymer and the at least one surfactant is contained with the fluorous phase;

administering the emulsion to the subject; and

imaging at least a portion of the subject.