Patent ID: 8097735

Claim:
A method of producing a semiconductor polymer of Formula (II): wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from alkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl; and n is from 2 to about 5,000; the method comprising: reacting a benzoquinone-dithiophene with a reagent of the formula M-R 1 , wherein M is MgX or Li, X is a halogen, and R 1 is alkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl; reducing the resulting intermediate to form the 4,8-disubstituted benzodithiophene of Formula (I): coupling a 3-R 2 -thiophene to the 2 and 6 positions of the benzodithiophene, wherein R 2 is alkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, to obtain a repeating unit; and polymerizing the repeating unit to obtain the polymer of Formula (II).