Arylacetylene‐Substituted Naphthalene Diimides with Dual Functions: Optical Waveguides and n‐Type Semiconductors

New arylacetylene‐substituted naphthalene diimides (NDIs) 1–6 , with both light‐emitting and semiconducting functions, are reported. Among them, the crystal structure of 1 was determined. On the basis of their reduction potentials and thin‐film absorption spectra, the HOMO/LUMO energies of these modified NDIs were estimated. The results reveal that their HOMO/LUMO energies are slightly affected by the flanking aryl groups. The emission colors of these NDIs vary from green to red, and interestingly, they show aggregation‐induced emission enhancement behavior with fluorescence quantum yields reaching 9.86 % in the solid state. Microrods of 1 , 3 , and 5 show typical optical wave‐guiding behavior with relatively low optical‐loss coefficients. Organic field‐effect transistors with thin films of these NDIs were fabricated with conventional techniques. The results indicate that thin films of 2 , 4 , and 6 , with long and branched alkyl chains, show air‐stable n‐type semiconducting properties with electron mobilities of up to 0.035 cm² V^?1 s^?1 after thermal annealing, whereas 1 , 3 , and 5 , with short alkyl chains, behave as n‐type semiconductors under a nitrogen atmosphere with electron mobilities of up to 0.075 cm² V^?1 s^?1 after thermal annealing.     

3,4‐Dithiaphosphole and 3,3′,4,4′‐Tetrathia‐1,1′‐Biphosphole π‐Conjugated Systems: S Makes the Impact

Conjugated systems based on phospholes and 1,1′‐biphospholes bearing 3,4‐ethylenedithia bridges have been prepared using the Fagan–Nugent route. The mechanism of this organometallic route leading to intermediate zirconacyclopentadienes has been investigated by using theoretical calculations. This study revealed that the oxidative coupling leading to zirconacyclopentadienes is favored over oxidative addition within the S? C≡C bond both thermodynamically and kinetically. The impact of the presence of the S atoms on the optical and electrochemical behavior of the phospholes and 1,1′‐biphospholes has been systematically evaluated both experimentally and theoretically. A comparison with their “all‐carbon” analogues is provided. Of particular interest, this comparative study revealed that the introduction of S atoms has an impact on the electronic properties of phosphole‐based conjugated systems. A decrease of the HOMO–LUMO separation and a stabilization of the LUMO level were observed. These general trends are also observed with 1,1′‐biphospholes exhibiting σ–π conjugation. The P atom of the 3,4‐ethylenedithiaphospholes can be selectively oxidized by S₈ or O₂. These P modifications result in a lowering of the HOMO–LUMO separation as well as an increase of the reduction and oxidation potentials. The S atoms of the 3,4‐ethylenedithia bridge of the 2,5‐phosphole have been oxidized using m‐chloroperoxybenzoic acid. The resulting 3,4‐ethylenesulfoxide oxophosphole was characterized by an X‐ray diffraction study. Experimental and theoretical studies show that this novel chemical manipulation results in an increase of the HOMO–LUMO separation and an important decrease of the LUMO level. The electropolymerization of 2‐thienyl‐capped 3,4‐ethylenedithiathioxophosphole and 1,1′‐biphosphole is reported. The impact of the S substituents on the polymer properties is discussed.     

α‐Oligofurans: A Computational Study

Recently, α‐oligofurans have emerged as interesting and promising organic electronic materials that have certain advantages over α‐oligothiophenes. In this work, α‐oligofurans were studied computationally, and their properties were compared systematically with those of the corresponding oligothiophenes. Although the two materials share similar electronic structures, overall, this study revealed important differences between α‐oligofurans and α‐oligothiophenes. Twisting studies on oligofurans revealed them to be significantly more rigid than oligothiophenes in the ground state and first excited state. Neutral α‐oligofurans have more quinoid character, higher frontier orbital energies, and higher HOMO–LUMO gaps than their α‐oligothiophene counterparts. The theoretical results suggest that oligofurans (and subsequently polyfuran) have lower ionization potentials than the corresponding oligothiophenes (and polythiophene), which in turn predicts that oligofurans can be lightly doped more easily than oligothiophenes. Oligofuran dications (8 F²⁺–14 F²⁺) of medium‐sized and longer chain lengths show a polaron‐pair character, and the polycations of α‐oligofurans cannot accommodate high positive charges as easily as their thiophene analogues.     

A new nonempirical tuning scheme with single self‐consistent field calculation: Comparison with global and IP‐tuned range‐separated functional

System‐dependent nonempirical tuning of range‐separated functional provides a way to minimize the delocalization error of the system. However, existing nonempirical tuning method requires the computation of several ΔSCF calculations to determine the optimal μ value. In this article, we have defined a scheme to evaluate the optimal μ value with single self‐consistent field calculation. Our method is based on the evaluation of the spherically symmetric average Electron localization function (ELF) region. According to this scheme, the radius of the spherically symmetric average ELF region gives is a measure of the distance at which the long‐range part of the range‐separated functional becomes dominant. Numerical results indicate that our method improves the reproduction of HOMO energies and HOMO‐LUMO gap in comparison to global and IP‐tuned range‐separated functional. Moreover, in case of HOMO energies, maximum error of the ELF‐tuned functional is considerably smaller than the global and IP‐tuned functional. Furthermore, our method gives considerably smaller deviation of HOMO energies from ΔSCF IP than global range‐separated functional. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

(Dibenzoylmethanato)boron Difluoride Derivatives Containing Triphenylamine Moieties: A New Type of Electron‐Donor/π‐Acceptor System for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

(Dibenzoylmethanato)boron difluoride derivatives containing triphenylamine moieties were synthesized as a new type of electron‐donor/π‐acceptor system. These new compounds exhibited long‐wavelength absorptions in the UV/Vis spectra, and reversible oxidation and reduction waves in cyclic voltammetry experiments. Their amphoteric redox properties are based on their resonance hybrid forms, in which a positive charge is delocalized on the triphenylamine moieties and a negative charge is localized on the boron atoms. Molecular orbital (MO) calculations indicate that their HOMO and LUMO energies vary with the number of phenylene rings connected to the difluoroboron‐chelating ring. This is useful for optimizing the HOMO and LUMO levels to an iodine redox (I^?/I₃^?) potential and a titanium dioxide conduction band, respectively. Dye‐sensitized solar cells fabricated by using these compounds as dye sensitizers exhibited solar‐to‐electric power conversion efficiencies of 2.7–4.4 % under AM 1.5 solar light.     

Synthesis,Structure, and Physical Properties of 5,7,14,16‐Tetraphenyl‐8:9,12:13‐bisbenzo‐hexatwistacene

A novel compound, 5,7,14,16‐tetraphenyl‐8:9,12:13‐bisbenzo‐hexatwistacene ( TBH ), has been successfully synthesized through a retro‐Diels–Alder reaction. Single‐crystal structure analysis indicated that TBH has a twisted configuration with a torsion angle of 27.34°. The HOMO–LUMO gap of TBH calculated from the difference between the half‐wave redox potentials (E_1/2^ox=+0.40 eV and E_1/2^red=?1.78 eV) is 2.18 eV, which is in good agreement with the band gap (2.19 eV) derived from the UV/Vis absorption data. In addition, organic light‐emitting devices using TBH as emitter have been fabricated. The results revealed that TBH is a promising red light‐emitting candidate for applications in organic light‐emitting diodes.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Multinanometer‐Sized Expanded Dendralenes with an iso‐Poly(triacetylene) Backbone

A series of [n]dendralenes (n =3, 4, 8, 3b – d (Fig. 1)) expanded with buta‐1,3‐diynediyl moieties between the CC bonds were prepared by repetitive acetylenic scaffolding of 3‐(cyclohexylidene)penta‐1,4‐diyne building blocks (Scheme). These remarkably unstable iso‐poly(triacetylene) (iso‐PTA) oligomers were characterized by ¹H‐ and ¹³C NMR (Fig. 3 and Table 1), IR, and UV/VIS (Figs. 4 and 6 and Table 2) spectroscopy, as well as mass spectrometry (Fig. 2). The expanded [8]dendralene contains 40 C(sp)‐ and C(sp²)‐atoms in the backbone and represents the longest iso‐PTA oligomer prepared to date. HOMO‐LUMO Gap energies were determined as a function of oligomeric length (Fig. 5 and Table 3), providing insight into the degree of π‐electron delocalization in these cross‐conjugated chromophores. A continous drop in the HOMO‐LUMO gap with increasing number of monomeric repeating units provides evidence that cross‐conjugation along the oligomeric backbone is effective to some extent. The limiting HOMO‐LUMO gap energy for an infinitely long, buta‐1,3‐diynediyl‐expanded dendralene was extrapolated to about 3.3–3.5 eV. The conformational preferences of the expanded dendralenes were analyzed in semi‐empirical calculations, revealing energetic preferences for planar or slightly twisted s‐cis and ‘U‐shaped' geometries.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Computational Studies of Selenium Derivatives of 3,5‐Dichloropyridine

A methodology that can be tailored to incorporate selenium at the C‐2 or C‐4 position of 3,5‐dichloropyridine ( 1 ) was developed. For this, the lithiation of 1 with and without prior boron trifluoride complexation was utilized. The use of 1.3 equiv of LDA in the reaction did not give the desired product; however, the use of 2.3 equiv of LDA successfully inserted selenium into the C─Li bond. The observed regioselectivity in these reactions has been explained in light of relative stability of the lithiated species formed in dimethyl ether solution. Quantum chemical analysis was used to calculate the deprotonation energy and pK _a values and correlated with the observed regioselectivity. Theoretical analysis (B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p)) of the synthesized compounds was performed to predict the effect of structural variations on the molecular properties of pyridylselenium derivatives. Various thermodynamic parameters and HOMO‐LUMO energies in the gas and solvent phases were calculated. When compared with 1 , the insertion of selenium into a pyridine moiety drastically reduces the HOMO‐LUMO energy gap, which clearly explains photochemical liability of selenium‐containing pyridine derivatives. The ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR chemical shifts were also calculated by using gauge‐including atomic orbital method, and the results were validated with the experimental data.     

Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of luminescent poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) derivatives containing electron‐transporting 1,3,4‐oxadiazole groups

Three random copolymers ( P1–P3 ) comprising phenylenevinylene and electron‐transporting aromatic 1,3,4‐oxadiazole segments (11, 18, 28 mol %, respectively) were prepared by Gilch polymerization to investigate the influence of oxadiazole content on their photophysical, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties. For comparative study, homopolymer poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxy)‐1,4‐p‐phenylenevinylene] ( P0 ) was also prepared by the same process. The polymers ( P0–P3 ) are soluble in common organic solvents and thermally stable up to 410 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. Their optical properties were investigated by absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The optical results reveal that the aromatic 1,3,4‐oxadiazole chromophores in P1–P3 suppress the intermolecular interactions. The HOMO and LUMO levels of these polymers were estimated from their cyclic voltammograms. The HOMO levels of P0–P3 are very similar (?5.02 to ?5.03 eV), whereas their LUMO levels decrease readily with increasing oxadiazole content (?2.7, ?3.08, ?3.11, and ?3.19 eV, respectively). Therefore, the electron affinity of the poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) chain can be gradually enhanced by incorporating 1,3,4‐oxadiazole segments. Among the polymers, P1 (11 mol % 1,3,4‐oxadiazole) shows the best EL performance (maximal luminance: 3490 cd/m², maximal current efficiency: 0.1 cd/A). Further increase in oxadiazole content results in micro‐phase separation that leads to performance deterioration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4377–4388, 2007     

Opp‐Dibenzoporphyrins as a Light‐Harvester for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

New opp‐dibenzoporphyrins were prepared in a concise method that was based on a Pd⁰‐catalyzed cascade reaction. These porphyrins, which contained carboxylic‐acid linker groups on benzene rings that were fused to the porphyrin at their β,β′‐positions, were examined as sensitizers for dye‐sensitized solar cells for the first time. Whereas all of the porphyrins showed solar‐energy‐to‐electricity conversion, an opp‐dibenzoporphyrin with conjugated carboxylic‐acid linkers displayed the highest conversion efficiency and an exceptionally high J_sc value. Cyclic voltammetry of these porphyrins suggested that the fusion of two aromatic benzene rings onto the periphery of the porphyrin lowered the HOMO–LUMO energy gap; the incorporation of a conjugated carboxylic‐acid linker group decreased the HOMO–LUMO gap even further. These CV data are consistent with DFT calculations for these porphyrins and agree well with the UV/Vis absorption‐ and fluorescence spectra of these porphyrins.     

Tuning of the electronic properties of H‐passivated armchair graphene nanoribbons by mild border oxidation: Theoretical study on periodic models

We report the results of a DFT study of the electronic properties, intended as highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies, of periodic models of H‐passivated armchair graphene nanoribbons (a‐GNRs) as that synthetized by bottom‐up technique, functionalized by vicinal dialdehydic groups. This material can be obtained by border oxidation in mild and easy to control conditions with ¹Δ_g O₂ as we reported in our previous paper (Ghigo et al., ChemPhysChem 2015, 16, 3030). The calculations show that the two models of border oxidized a‐GNRs (model A, 0.98 nm and model B, 1.35 nm wide) present LUMO and HOMO energies lowered by an extend roughly linearly dependent on the amount of oxygen chemically bound. The frontier orbital energy variations dependence on the % wt of oxygen bound are, for model A: ?0.12 eV for the LUMO and ?0.05 eV for the HOMO; for model B: ?0.15 eV (HOMO) and ?0.06 eV (LUMO). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Syntheses,Spectroscopic and DFT Studies of Two New D‐π‐A Compounds

Two novel 1,3‐dithiole‐2‐ylidene derivatives with a push–pull structures, 3‐(4,5‐dicarbomethoxy‐1,3‐dithiol‐2‐ylidene)naphthopyranone 1 and 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthio‐1,3‐dithiol‐2‐ylidene)naphthopyranone 2 , have been synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR, IR, MS. The UV–vis spectra of 1 , 2 in CH₂Cl₂, the lowest‐energy absorption bands, are centered at 280, 316, and 430 nm for 1 and 284, 317, and 450 nm for 2 , respectively, which are caused by the HOMO → LUMO single electron promotion. Furthermore, the steady‐state fluorescence originating states of 1 , 2 from the excited charge‐transfer were observed. To estimate the position and energies of frontier orbitals for 1 , 2 , DFT calculations were performed using the Gaussian 03 program at the B3LYP/6‐31 G* level. The calculated vertical excitation energies are in good agreement with the experimental data. The high HOMO–LUMO gaps of 1 (3.08 eV) and 2 (3.00 eV) indicate high kinetic stability of the title compounds.     

Highly Pure Synthesis,Spectral Assignments,and Two‐Photon Properties of Cruciform Porphyrin Pentamers Fused with Benzene Units

Tetrameric porphyrin formation of 2‐hydroxymethylpyrrole fused with porphyrins through a bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene unit gave bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene‐fused porphyrin pentamers. Thermal conversion of the pentamers gave fully π‐conjugated cruciform porphyrin pentamers fused with benzene units in quantitative yields. UV/Vis spectra of fully π‐conjugated porphyrin pentamers showed one very strong Q absorption and were quite different from those of usual porphyrins. From TD‐DFT calculations, the HOMO level is 0.49 eV higher than the HOMO?1 level. The LUMO and LUMO+1 levels are very close and are lower by more than 0.27 eV than those of other unoccupied MOs. The strong Q absorption was interpreted as two mutually orthogonal single‐electron transitions (683 nm: 86 %, HOMO→LUMO; 680 nm: 86 %, HOMO→LUMO+1). The two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross section value (σ⁽²⁾) of the benzene‐fused porphyrin pentamer was estimated to be 3900 GM at 1500 nm, which is strongly correlated with a cruciform molecular structure with multidirectional π‐conjugation pathways.     

Scanning‐Tunneling‐Spectroscopy‐Directed Design of Tailored Deep‐Blue Emitters

Frontier molecular orbitals can be visualized and selectively set to achieve blue phosphorescent metal complexes. For this purpose, the HOMOs and LUMOs of tridentate Pt^II complexes were measured using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The introduction of electron‐accepting or ‐donating moieties enables independent tuning of the frontier orbital energies, and the measured HOMO–LUMO gaps are reproduced by DFT calculations. The energy gaps correlate with the measured and the calculated energies of the emissive triplet states and the experimental luminescence wavelengths. This synergetic interplay between synthesis, microscopy, and spectroscopy enabled the design and realization of a deep‐blue triplet emitter. Finding and tuning the electronic “set screws” at molecular level constitutes a useful experimental method towards an in‐depth understanding and rational design of optoelectronic materials with tailored excited state energies and defined frontier‐orbital properties.     

A New Water‐Soluble Phosphorus‐Dipyrromethene and Phosphorus‐Azadipyrromethene Dye: PODIPY/aza‐PODIPY

PODIPY and aza‐PODIPY have been successfully prepared by the treatment of dipyrromethene and azadipyrromethene with POCl₃ in the presence of Et₃N. The new PODIPY and aza‐PODIPY dyes are found to have photophysical properties. PODIPY and aza‐PODIPY are water‐soluble, and aza‐PODIPY is suited for labeling living Hep‐2 cells for imaging assays in the near‐infrared region. Molecular orbital calculations show that the increase in the HOMO–LUMO band gap for the lowest energy absorption bands is observed in the new phosphorus‐containing aza‐PODIPY, and the HOMO and LUMO energies of aza‐PODIPY are found to be higher than those of aza‐BODIPY.     

Synthesis of poly(N‐9‐ethylcarbazole‐exo‐norbornene‐5,6‐dicarboximide) for hole‐transporting layer in hybrid organic light‐emitting devices

We synthesized new polynorbornene dicarboximide (PCaNI) functionalized with hole‐transporting carbazole moieties and its copolymer (PCaNA) by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), where the PCaNA was further reacted with 3‐amino‐triethoxysilane to prepare PCaNI/silica hybrid. We also investigated the feasibility of PCaNI and PCaNI/silica hybrid (PCaSi) as a hole‐transporting material for hybrid organic light emitting devices (HOLEDs). To improve the performance of the PCaNI‐based HOLEDs, N,N′‐diphenyl‐N,N′‐(3‐methylphenyl)‐[1,1′‐biphenyl]‐4‐4′‐diamine (TPD) was also introduced into the PCaNI matrix. Results showed that PCaNI exhibited high glass transition temperature (～260 °C) and high optical transparency in the visible region. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of PCaNI were measured as 5.6 and 2.2 eV, while the TPD‐doped PCaNI showed 5.7 eV (HOMO) and 2.6 eV (LUMO). The PCaNI/silica hybrid nanolayers showed excellent solvent resistance due to the formation of covalent bonds between ITO and PCaNI. The HOLEDs with PCaNI/TPD or PCaSi/TPD hybrid nanolayers exhibited relatively higher luminance (～10,000 cd/m²), lower operating voltage (～6.5 V at 300 cd/m²), and higher current efficiency (～2.7 cd/A). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

The Pi‐Nature of Methyl Obtained by the Natural Bond Orbital Method: Orbital‐Based Rationalizations of Site‐Dependent Substitution Effects on Fine Color‐Tuning of Luminescence

Both C‐H bonding and antibonding (σ_CH and σ*_CH) of a methyl group would contribute to the highest occupied or lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (HOMO or LUMO) in methylated derivatives of Ir(ppz)₂ 3 iq (ppz = 1‐phenylpyrazole and 3iq = isoquinoline‐3‐carboxylate). This is found by analysis of HOMO (or LUMO) formed by linear combination of bond orbitals using the natural bond orbital (NBO) method. The elevated level of HOMO (or LUMO) uniformly found for each methylated derivative, indicating the σ_CH‐destabilization outweighs the σ*_CH‐stabilization. To broaden the HOMO‐LUMO gap, methylation at a carbon having smaller contribution to HOMO and/or larger contribution to LUMO is suggested.     

Highly Thermostable,Non‐oxidizable Indium,Gallium, and Aluminium Perfluorophthalocyanines with n‐Type Character

Perfluorophthalocyanines incorporating three‐valent metals, namely In(Cl), Ga(Cl), and Al(Cl), have been synthesized and characterized. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that these compounds exhibit outstanding thermal stability and a tendency to sublime at a temperature exceeding around 350 °C without thermal decomposition. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were used to probe the frontier orbital energy levels of these compounds in THF solution. All three compounds undergo three quasi‐reversible reductions with the first one leading to the formation of an anion radical, namely MPc^?., as confirmed by spectroelectrochemistry. The compounds studied were intrinsically resistive to oxidation, which indicates that they are very good electron acceptors (n‐type materials). The HOMO–LUMO energy gaps (E_g) of the three compounds determined by UV/Vis spectroscopy were relatively unaffected by the three‐valent metals incorporated into the phthalocyanine macrocycle. Similarly, the energies of the HOMO (E_HOMO) and LUMO (E_LUMO) orbitals remained virtually unaffected by the three‐valent metals in the perfluorophthalocyanine. Importantly, all the perfluorophthalocyanines studied possess LUMO levels between ?4.76 and ?4.85 eV, which makes their reduced forms resistant to electron trapping by O₂ and H₂O. This property opens up the possibility for the fabrication of electronic devices operating under ambient conditions. All three compounds demonstrated very good photostability as solid thin films.     

Synthesis of polymers containing regularly distributed tetrathia‐[7]‐elicene units along the backbone

A tetrathia‐[7]‐helicene bearing in the 2 and 13 positions cyanovinyl groups was used as comonomer in the Michael‐type polyaddition reaction with N,N′‐bis(β‐mercaptoethyl)piperazine. This led to a new polymer bearing tetrathia‐[7]‐helicene units regularly distributed along the polymer backbone, which may be regarded as the first example of a new family of potentially useful nonlinear optical materials. All products were structurally characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry characterizations revealed the presence, in both monomeric and polymeric helicenes, of glass‐transition like temperatures, associated to some conformational variation of the helicene units. The optical properties, the film formation and the morphology of the polymer‐containing tetratia‐[7]‐helicenes were also investigated. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Acid/Base‐Triggered Switching of Circularly Polarized Luminescence and Electronic Circular Dichroism in Organic and Organometallic Helicenes

Electronic circular dichroism and circularly polarized luminescence acid/base switching activity has been demonstrated in helicene‐bipyridine proligand 1 a and in its “rollover” cycloplatinated derivative 2 a . Whereas proligand 1 a displays a strong bathochromic shift (>160 nm) of the nonpolarized and circularly polarized luminescence upon protonation, complex 2 a displays slightly stronger emission. This strikingly different behavior between singlet emission in the organic helicene and triplet emission in the organometallic derivative has been rationalized by using quantum‐chemical calculations. The very large bathochromic shift of the emission observed upon protonation of azahelicene‐bipyridine 1 a has been attributed to the decrease in aromaticity (promoting a charge‐transfer‐type transition rather than a π–π* transition) as well as an increase in the HOMO–LUMO character of the transition and stabilization of the LUMO level upon protonation.