Cationic Water-Soluble Polyfluorene Homopolymers and Copolymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Their Applications in DNA Sensing

The most widely studied cationic polyfluorene homopolymers and copolymers are fluorene-containing conjugated polymers with quarternary amine groups on side chains which render them soluble in polar solvents. This review summarizes the polymer structures and various synthetic methods to water-soluble polyfluorenes (PF) and their derivatives which include poly(fluorene-cophenylene)s, poly(fluorene-co-benzothiadiazole)s, poly(fluorene-co-thiophene)s, poly(fluorenevinylene)s and poly(fluorenethynylene)s. This is followed by a brief survey on the polymer optical properties. Finally, the application of cationic PF homopolymers and copolymers in DNA sensing is discussed.