Photoresponsive Polymers with Dangling Triptycene Units As Efficient Receptor for Fullerene‐c60

We report herein a new triptycene derivative ( 1 ) with an azo functional group. This molecule has been used as a monomer to yield two linear polymers ( TAFPs ) that have several triptycene units dangling from the linear polymer chain. TAFPs are soluble in organic solvents and are thermally stable. TAFPs can be cast into thin films. Further, these polymers are fluorescent with emission intensity increasing upon irradiation with ultraviolet light due to photoisomerization of the azo groups present in them. The fluorescence of TAFPs are quenched in the presence of C 60 , which supports their strong affinity for each other. Since both TAFP1 and TAFP2 form stable thin films of uniform thickness over large area coupled with their interaction with C 60 , these polymers may find potential applications in the development of optoelectronic devices or as molecular sensors in supramolecular chemistry.