Abstract New classes of liquid‐crystalline semiconductor polymers based on perylene diester benzimidazole and perylene diester imide mesogens are reported. Two highly soluble side‐chain polymers, poly(perylene diester benzimidazole acrylate) (PPDB) and poly(perylene diester imide acrylate) (PPDI) are synthesized by nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMRP). PPDB shows n‐type semiconductor performance with electron mobilities of 3.2 × 10 −4 cm 2 V −1 s −1 obtained in a diode configuration by fitting the space‐charge‐limited currents (SCLC) according to the Mott–Gurney equation. Interestingly, PPDI performs preferentially as a p‐type material with a hole mobility of 1.5 × 10 −4 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , which is attributed to the less electron‐deficient perylene core of PPDI compared to PPDB. Optical properties are investigated by UV‐vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The extended π‐conjugation system due to the benzimidazole unit of PPDB leads to a considerably broader absorption in the visible region compared to PPDI. HOMO and LUMO levels of the polymers are also determined by cyclic voltammetry; the resulting energy band‐gaps are 1.86 eV for PPDB and 2.16 eV for PPDI. Thermal behavior and liquid crystallinity are studied by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction measurements. The results indicate liquid‐crystalline order of the polymers over a broad temperature range. These thermal, electrical, and optical properties make the perylene side‐chain polymers attractive materials for organic photovoltaics.
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