冲绳科学技术大学院大学Christine K. Luscombe教授：Advancing the frontiers of semiconducting polymers through precision synthesis

The performance of semiconducting polymers is fundamentally dictated by the precision with which their molecular structure can be controlled. Therefore, advancing the synthetic toolkit is crucial for developing next-generation organic electronic materials. While traditional cross-coupling reactions have been instrumental, the field is increasingly moving towards more sustainable and atom-economical methods like direct arylation polymerization (DArP). This approach offers significant advantages, including fewer synthetic steps and reduced organometallic waste. However, achieving precise control over selectivity, molecular weight, and defects during polymerization remains a critical challenge. To address these limitations, synergistic catalysis has emerged as a powerful strategy, utilizing cooperative catalyst systems to unlock reaction pathways and levels of control unattainable with single catalysts. This approach has enabled the development of controlled polymerizations that exhibit living characteristics, yielding well-defined polymers with predictable molecular weights and low dispersities. Furthermore, this strategy has been successfully applied to overcome selectivity issues in challenging reactions such as cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC). By employing synergistic Pd/Ag cocatalyst systems, for instance, the synthesis of high-molecular-weight, defect-free donor-acceptor copolymers via direct C-H/C-H coupling has been achieved with exceptional selectivity. Computational studies, including DFT calculations, have provided insight into these systems, revealing that enhanced reaction rates and selectivity often stem from unique catalyst-substrate interactions that lower the activation energy barriers for C-H activation. These breakthroughs in precision synthesis are not only paving the way for superior polymeric materials but also have broad implications for the synthesis of complex organic molecules where C-H functionalization is a key challenge. Christine Luscombe received her Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 2000, she worked with Profs. Andrew Holmes and Wilhelm Huck in the Melville Laboratory of Polymer Synthesis at the University of Cambridge where her research focused on surface modifications using supercritical carbon dioxide for her PhD. She received the Syngenta Award for best organic chemistry project for her PhD. In January 2004, she joined the group of Prof. Jean Fréchet at University of California, Berkeley for her post-doctoral studies where she began her research on semiconducting polymers for organic photovoltaics. She was the recipient of the Lindemann Fellowship as well as the Trinity College Junior Research Fellowship (University of Cambridge) for her post-doctoral studies. In September 2006, she joined the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Washington. She received a number of young faculty awards including the NSF CAREER Award, DARPA Young Faculty Award, as well as the Sloan Research Fellowship. She joined the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in 2021. Her current research focuses on the synthesis of semiconducting polymers for organic electronics and has published over 170 papers in peer-reviewed journals (h-index 60) with approximately 12,000 citations. She served as the President of the Polymer Division of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) from 2020 to 2023, and will serve as the vice President and President-Elect of IUPAC in 2026. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Chemistry, and have previously served as the associate editor of Macromolecules and Journal of Materials Chemistry A. She is also serving on the Editorial Advisory Boards for a number of journals including Chemical Reviews, Advanced Functional Materials, Advanced Electronic Materials, and ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.