INTERBLOCK ELECTRON-TRANSFER IN 2-VINYLNAPHTHALENE-((N,N-DIMETHYLAMINO)METHYL)STYRENE BLOCK-COPOLYMERS

2-Vinylnaphthalene-((N,N-dimethylamino)methyl)styrene block copolymers (1) of variable block lengths constituted from two monomers with substantially different redox potentials were prepared by anionic polymerization. Interblock electron transfer studied by fluorescence quenching was most efficient in block copolymers with approximately equal individual block lengths. Copolymers with very different lengths for the individual blocks exhibited substantially lower quenching efficiencies, probably because of interblock phase separation, as suggested by phase-dispersal studies. The intensities of the observed ground-state charge-transfer absorptions in these block copolymers correlate with the degree of phase separation.