Bimetallic cooperative catalytic systems are widely used in the polymerization of alkenes to great effect yet to date there has been no study in which these findings have been transferred to the field of conjugated polymer synthesis. In a variety of alkene polymerizations, two metal centers which held in close proximity by covalent linkages have been shown to be highly influential in directing the linear growth of polymer chains as well as the speed at which this growth occurs.
Through the use of two covalently bound Ni(II) centers, the differences between multinuclear and mononuclear catalysis are examined with regards to the synthesis of semiconducting P3HT. The ability of the two metal centers to cooperatively bind and couple aromatic groups, which would allow for the synthesis of more sophisticated structures in a highly controlled manner, is probed. Molecular weight, polydispersity as well as monomer size are also examined and compared in detail to the conventional P3HT polymerization techniques that use a single Ni(II) based catalyst. Additionally, the effect of internuclear distance between nickel atoms on the polymerization will be examined.