Conjugated polymers (CPs) are at the heart of sustainable organic electronics (OEs) such as solar cells, thermoelectric devices, and energy storage systems. However, their synthesis is heavily reliant on fossil-derived synthons, which contradicts the objectives of Horizon 2030 on sustainable consumption and production. While considerable progress has been achieved in using renewable synthons, prior attempts have primarily concentrated on 6-membered aromatic rings, e.g. vanillin, resulting in suboptimal electrical characteristics.
This project aims to develop bio-based CPs using a retrosynthetic approach targeting 5-membered fused furan to enhance solid-state packing and thereby charge-transport. The renewable starting materials are furfural, which can be derived from hemicellulose.
In this work, we describe the retrosynthesis of a furfural-based monomer, discuss the synthetic selection with have made with regards to developing a greener synthesis process and recent progress we have made towards creating biomass-based conjugated polymers. The expected outcomes include high-performance bio-based CPs suitable for flexible electronics, energy storage, and supercapacitors. Moreover, valorising hemicellulose-derived synthons will contribute to the development of sustainable materials, promoting a circular bioeconomy and aligning with global sustainability goals.
Key words: conjugated polymer, furan, hemicellulose, organic electronics.