A pseudopolyrotaxane consisting in PPV threaded in multiple cucurbiturils

p-Phenylenedimethylene-1,1'-bis(tetrahydrothiophen-l-ium) dibromide (PBTHBr2), one of the possible monomers of polyp-phenlylenevinylene) (PPV), forms a very stable complex with cucurbiturils (CBs) of the appropriate internal diameter as assessed by H NMR. Using PBTH2+@CB[7] as starting material, the corresponding PPV@CB[7], a pseudopolyrotaxane in which phenylenevinylene units are inserted in CB[7]s, was obtained by condensation with NaOH and thermal treatment at 200 degrees C. Considering that many applications of PPV derive from luminescence, observation of a strong emission for PPV@CB[7] with a lifetime somewhat shorter than the pure polymer makes also this material useful for applications in nanotechnology. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.