Cationic water-soluble conjugated polymers and their precursors

A method of forming a conjugated cationic polymer having a desired solubility in a given solvent, comprising:

• providing a conjugated cationic polymer comprising the formula:
• wherein:
• R1 and R2 are identical or different and are each H, a straight or branched alkyl, alkoxyl, ester groups or cyclic crown ether groups having from 1 to about 22 carbon atoms;
• A, B, E and F are identical or different and are each H, SiR′R″ or NR′R″ (wherein at least one of A, B, E and F is NR′R″;
• R′ and R″ are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, unbranched or branched alkyl or alkoxyl groups having 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, and (C3 to C10) cycloalkyl groups;
• C and D are identical or different and are each H (but are not both H), O, S, CO, COO, CRR′, NR′, SiR′R″, wherein R′ and R″ are as defined above;
• R3 and R4 are identical or different and are independently selected from linear, branched or cyclical saturated or unsaturated aliphatic moieties that contain at least one heteroatom;
• R5, R6, R7 and R8 are identical or different and are independently selected from linear, branched or cyclical saturated or unsaturated aliphatic moieties that contain at least one heteroatom and that contain at least one aromatic group, substituted or unsubstituted aromatic moiety;
• G is hydrogen, halogen, boronic acid, boronate radical or an aryl moiety;
• a and b are independently selected and each is a number from 0 to about 100, wherein if a is 0, b is a number from 1 to about 100 and if b is 0, a is a number from 1 to about 100;
• x and y are also independent independently selected and each is a number from 1 to about 100;
• and
• n is a number from 1 to about 1000;
• and
• quaternizing terminal amino groups of the conjugated cationic polymer.