Polythiophenes have great potential as semiconductors for use in organic field effect transistors and light emitting diodes. Recent research has been focused on the design, synthesis and characterization of fluorinated polythiophenes and oligothiophenes. Various fluoroalkyl side chains have been introduced to induce polymer self-assembly, to control the electronic properties of the conjugated backbone, and to modify the solubility of the polymer in supercritical CO2. This work led to the preparation of poly(3-(perfluorooctyl)thiophene), which is one of only a few examples of n-dopable polythiophenes, and is the first supercritical CO2-soluble conducting polymer. An alternating copolymer consisting of 3-perfluoroakyl and 3-alkylthiophene units has been synthesized. This polymer, with alternating electron-donating and withdrawing substituents, has a high quantum yield for fluorescence in solution relative to the two homopolymers, and strong fluorescence in solid state. Based on the study on its nanocrystals, the unusual photophyiscs may be due to the formation of the supramolecular structure with hexagonal packing. A novel thiophene monomer, 3-(1,1-difluorooctyl)thiophene, was prepared to further tune the electronic structure of polythiophenes by changing the fluorination pattern of side chains, while retaining solubility in organic solvents by virtue of the hydrocarbon side chain. a-Hexyl-w-perfluorohexylsexithiophene was synthesized to make a novel amphiphilic material for use in TFTs. Models for interchain charge transfer in doped conducting polymers were also developed. Stacked and unstacked conjugated oligomers have been synthesized as models for conducting polymers. The bis(radical cation) form and the dication-neutral form of compounds in which conjugated oligomers are held in a stacked arrangement are shown to coexist and in equilibrium with each other. The coexistence of these two forms further suggests that both may serve as charge carriers. Interconversion between these forms by disproportionation mimics a possible mechanism for charge migration in doped conjugated polymers.

Les tensioactifs poly- et perfluoroalkylés (PFAS) sont des composés d’origine anthropique produits à partir des années 1950 et qui sont désormais considérés comme des polluants ubiquistes. La première partie de ce travail a consisté à optimiser et valider des procédures pour l’analyse ultra-trace des PFAS. Ces méthodes ont ensuite été utilisées afin d’apporter de nouveaux éléments de réponse sur l’occurrence et la dynamique des PFAS dans les environnements aquatiques. Une attention particulière a été accordée aux valeurs censurées (<LD). Dans les eaux de surface et les sédiments, à l’échelle nationale, le perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) s’est avéré prédominant parmi les acides perfluoroalkylés (PFAA) considérés ; la fraction organique du sédiment est apparue un facteur de contrôle clé des teneurs sédimentaires. L’utilisation des cartes auto-organisatrices de Kohonen a facilité la synthèse des résultats et les comparaisons entre sites. A une échelle plus locale, ces travaux ont permis de cartographier la contamination sédimentaire d’un estuaire macrotidal et d’étudier les facteurs de contrôle de leur distribution. La dynamique spatio-temporelle des PFAS et leur transfert aux premiers maillons trophiques ont été évalués en milieu fluvial urbain (la Seine) et en milieu estuarien (la Gironde). La détermination des facteurs d’amplification trophique en estuaire de Gironde confirme le caractère bioamplifiable du PFOS et de certains PFAA à longue chaîne. Le dernier axe de ces travaux concernait la recherche de PFAS d’intérêt émergent zwittérioniques et cationiques ; des résultats préliminaires semblent dissiper les inquiétudes concernant leur potentiel de bioaccumulation. / Poly- and perfluoroalkyl surfactants (PFAS) are anthropogenic compounds that have been used sincethe 1950s in a variety of applications and that have emerged as ubiquitously distributed contaminants.The first aim of this work was to optimize and validate analytical procedures for the trace-leveldetermination of PFAS. These methods were then applied to various sets of environmental samples,providing new elements to document the occurrence and environmental fate of PFAS in aquaticecosystems. In terms of statistical analyses, a special care has been devoted to incorporate nondetects(data <LOD). In French surface waters and sediments, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) wasthe prevailing perfluoroalkylated acid (PFAA); sediment organic carbon fraction was a key controllingfactor of PFAS sedimentary levels. Kohonen self-organizing maps were used to highlight similaritiesand differences between sites, providing evidence for distinctive features, sometimes at watershedscale. A mapping of PFAS in sediments was established in a macrotidal estuary, along with theirpartitioning behavior in the water column. The spatio-temporal dynamics of PFAS and transfer to thefirst trophic levels were investigated in an urban freshwater hydrosystem (the Seine River) and in anestuarine environment (Gironde estuary). In the Gironde estuary, trophic magnification factors (TMF)were significantly >1 for PFOS and several long-chain PFAA, providing new evidence for theirbiomagnification. The last theme addressed in this work was the analysis of newly-identified cationicand zwitterionic PFAS ; preliminary evidence seem to dispel concerns about the bioaccumulationpotential of the latter.

Dans une première partie, une méthode efficace et générale de préparation de pyrroles E-fluoroalkylés a été développée. Ces derniers ont été facilement obtenus en deux étapes à partir d'énones E-fluoroalkylées avec de bons rendements. L'oxydation sélective du squelette furanique des pyrroles E-fluoroalkylés, comportant un groupement 2-furyl en position 5 du cycle pyrrolique, puis leur décarboxylation, ont alors donné accès à deux nouvelles familles de synthons pyrroliques fluoroalkylés, très intéressantes pour la conception de molécules bioactives. Dans une seconde partie, deux méthodes originales de trifluorométhoxylation nucléophile, utilisant le triflate de rifluorométhyle (TFMT) ou le 2,4-dinitro(trifluorométhoxy) benzène (DNOB) en tant que générateurs de l'anion trifluorométhanolate, ont été développées. Certains trifluorométhyl éthers ainsi synthétisés ont alors été employés pour la préparation d'énaminones trifluorométhoxylées, précurseurs d’hétérocycles aromatiques trifluorométhoxylés inédits tels que des nicotinates, des pyrimidines, des pyrazoles et des isoxazoles / In a first part, an efficient and versatile method of preparation of E-fluoroalkylated pyrroles has been developed. These compounds have been readily obtained in two steps starting from E-fluoroalkylated enones with good yields. Then, the selective oxidation of the furyl moiety of E-fluoroalkylated pyrroles, bearing a 2-furyl group in the 5-position of the pyrrole ring, followed by their decarboxylation, provided two new classes of pyrrolic building-blocks. In a second part, two original methods of nucleophilic trifluoromethoxylation, using trifluoromethyl triflate (TFMT) or 2,4-dinitro(trifluoromethoxy)benzene (DNOB) as generators of the trifluoromethoxide anion, have been developed. Among the trifluoromethyl ethers so-prepared, some of them have been used to synthesise trifluoromethoxylated enaminones, precursors of novel trifluoromethoxylated aromatic heterocycles such as nicotinates, pyrimidines, pyrazoles and isoxazoles, which are very interesting for the design of bioactive molecules