The Heck polycondensation for functional polymers

In this account, our own work in the synthesis of functionalized poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s (PPVs) for electrooptic applications via the Pd-catalyzed Heck polycondensation is summarized. It was shown that various functionalized PPVs could be synthesized by the Pd-catalyzed Heck reaction due to its mild reaction condition. These materials show interesting physical properties, ranging from non-linear optical effects, photorefractive effect, photovoltaic property to liquid crystallinity. These results demonstrate the versatile utility of the Heck reaction in synthesis of functional materials.