Donor–acceptor (D–A) type compounds and polymers are of current importance. They can be used as photovoltaic, photochromic, and sensing materials because of their red-shifted absorption bands and polar photoexcited states. In this regard, a variety of donor–silicon–acceptor (D–Si–A) polymers have been also prepared, in which photoinduced electron and energy transfer between the donor and acceptor units is smooth.

Joji Ohshita and co-workers, Hiroshima University, Japan, prepared two new D–Si–A polymers with bi- or terthiophene and diethynyl- or dithienylbenzothiadiazole as the donors and acceptors, respectively. The optical properties of these polymers show that electron and energy transfer is efficient, depending on the donor–acceptor combination. The researchers believe that the structure–property relationship provides new ideas for developing organic optoelectronic materials based on the D–Si–A system.

• Preparation and Photoinduced Energy and Electron Transfer of Donor–Silicon–Acceptor Polymers,
  Joji Ohshita, Fumiya Kaneko, Daiki Tanaka, Yousuke Ooyama,
  Asian J. Org. Chem. 2014.
  DOI: 10.1002/ajoc.201300288