Vanillin-Based Diketopyrrolopyrrole Conjugated Polymers Prepared by Direct Heteroarylation Polymerization (DHAP)

An area of research in organic electronics focuses on sustainable approaches using biomass-derived materials to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. In this work, forest biomass is explored for synthesizing biobased heterocyclic monomers. More specifically, using vanillin from lignin and precursor sugars from cellulose and hemicellulose, partially biobased conjugated polymers were synthesized. These monomers in combination with functionalized diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) were copolymerized via eco-friendly direct (hetero)arylation polymerization (DHAP). The resulting materials exhibited promising properties for applications in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), achieving hole mobilities up to 6.14 × 10–3 cm2 V–1 s–1. This research highlights the potential of biomass as a sustainable feedstock and DHAP as one of the eco-friendly polymerization methods contributing to the advancement of more environmentally responsible organic electronics.