Abstract
Well‐defined, modular dendrimers enable processing techniques and electronic properties to be tuned independently. Moreover, the dendritic topology can isolate the core chromophore, thus reducing or eliminating strong intermolecular interactions. This paper presents the synthesis of three series of flexible, dendron‐functionalized dendrimers as red‐light‐emitting materials by a convergent approach: (1) carbazole (CZ) or oxadiazole (OXZ) terminated imide‐type dendrimers, (2) cascade energy‐transferring imide‐type dendrimers, and (3) CZ‐terminated perylene bay‐type dendrimers. They all consist of the luminescent core of perylenebis(dicarboximide)s with specific functional groups of CZ or OXZ at the periphery and are constructed from flexible Fréchet‐type poly(aryl ether) dendrons. The chemical structures of the dendrons and dendrimers were determined by standard spectroscopic techniques including ^1^H and ^13^C NMR spectroscopy and low/high‐resolution mass spectrometry (ESI or MALDI‐TOF). The dendrimers are designed on the basis of the following considerations: (1) dendron functionalization to incorporate CZ or OXZ units to realize the carrier‐injection adjustment, (2) tuning or improving solubility, functionality, glass‐transition temperature (T~g~) with well‐defined dendrons, and (3) avoiding luminescence quenching with the help of high site‐isolation of dendrons to enhance core luminescence. DSC results indicate that the incorporation of Fréchet‐type poly(aryl ether) dendrons can improve the amorphous properties and increase T~g~. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)