Synthetic Control of Spectroscopic and Photophysical Properties of Triarylborane Derivatives Having Peripheral Electron‐Donating Groups

The spectroscopic and photophysical properties of triarylborane derivatives were controlled by the nature of the triarylborane core (trixylyl‐ or trianthrylborane) and peripheral electron‐donating groups (N,N‐diphenylamino or 9H‐carbazolyl groups). The triarylborane derivatives with and without the electron‐donating groups showed intramolecular charge‐transfer absorption/fluorescence transitions between the π orbital of the aryl group (π(aryl)) and the vacant p orbital on the boron atom (p(B), π(aryl)–p(B) CT), and the fluorescence color was tunable from blue to red by the combination of peripheral electron‐donating groups and a triarylborane core. Detailed electrochemical, spectroscopic, and photophysical studies of the derivatives, including solvent dependences of the spectroscopic and photophysical properties, demonstrated that the HOMO and LUMO of each derivative were determined primarily by the nature of the peripheral electron‐donating group and the triarylborane core, respectively. The effects of solvent polarity on the fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime of the derivatives were also tunable by the choice of the triarylborane core.     

2,6,8‐Trisubstituted 3‐Hydroxychromone Derivatives as Fluorophores for Live‐Cell Imaging

We present the synthesis and photophysical characterisation of a series of structurally diverse, fluorescent 2,6,8‐trisubstituted 3‐hydroxychromone derivatives with high fluorescence quantum yields and molar extinction coefficients. Two of these derivatives ( 9 and 10 a ) have been studied as fluorophores for cellular imaging in HeLa cells and show excellent permeability and promising fluorescence properties in a cellular environment. In addition, we have demonstrated by photophysical characterisation of 3‐isobutyroxychromone derivatives that esterification of the 3‐hydroxyl group results in acceptable and useful fluorescence properties.     

Rational Design of Fluorescent Phthalazinone Derivatives for One‐ and Two‐Photon Imaging

Phthalazinone derivatives were designed as optical probes for one‐ and two‐photon fluorescence microscopy imaging. The design strategy involves stepwise extension and modification of pyridazinone by 1) expansion of pyridazinone to phthalazinone, a larger conjugated system, as the electron acceptor, 2) coupling of electron‐donating aromatic groups such as N,N‐diethylaminophenyl, thienyl, naphthyl, and quinolyl to the phthalazinone, and 3) anchoring of an alkyl chain to the phthalazinone with various terminal substituents such as triphenylphosphonio, morpholino, triethylammonio, N‐methylimidazolio, pyrrolidino, and piperidino. Theoretical calculations were utilized to verify the initial design. The desired fluorescent probes were synthesized by two different routes in considerable yields. Twenty‐two phthalazinone derivatives were synthesized and their photophysical properties were measured. Selected compounds were applied in cell imaging, and valuable information was obtained. Furthermore, the designed compounds showed excellent performance in two‐photon microscopic imaging of mouse brain slices.     

Charge‐Transfer Interactions in Tris‐Donor–Tris‐Acceptor Hexaarylbenzene Redox Chromophores

Symmetric‐ and asymmetric hexaarylbenzenes (HABs), each substituted with three electron‐donor triarylamine redox centers and three electron‐acceptor triarylborane redox centers, were synthesized by cobalt‐catalyzed cyclotrimerization, thereby forming compounds with six‐ and four donor–acceptor interactions, respectively. The electrochemical‐ and photophysical properties of these systems were investigated by cyclovoltammetry (CV), as well as by absorption‐ and fluorescence spectroscopy, and compared to a HAB that only contained one neighboring donor–acceptor pair. CV measurements of the asymmetric HAB show three oxidation peaks and three reduction peaks, whose peak‐separation is greatly influenced by the conducting salt, owing to ion‐pairing and shielding effects. Consequently, the peak‐separations cannot be interpreted in terms of the electronic couplings in the generated mixed‐valence species. Transient‐absorption spectra, fluorescence‐solvatochromism, and absorption spectra show that charge‐transfer states from the amine‐ to the boron centers are generated after optical excitation. The electronic donor–acceptor interactions are weak because the charge transfer has to occur predominantly through space. Moreover, the excitation energy of the localized excited charge‐transfer states can be redistributed between the aryl substituents of these multidimensional chromophores within the fluorescence lifetime (about 60 ns). This result was confirmed by steady‐state fluorescence‐anisotropy measurements, which further indicated symmetry‐breaking in the superficially symmetric HAB. Adding fluoride ions causes the boron centers to lose their accepting ability owing to complexation. Consequently, the charge‐transfer character in the donor–acceptor chromophores vanishes, as observed in both the absorption‐ and fluorescence spectra. However, the ability of the boron center as a fluoride sensor is strongly influenced by the moisture content of the solvent, possibly owing to the formation of hydrogen‐bonding interactions between water molecules and the fluoride anions.     

New 3‐(Heteroaryl)‐2‐iminocoumarin‐based Borate Complexes: Synthesis,Photophysical Properties,and Rational Functionalization for Biosensing/Biolabeling Applications

Members of a series of boron difluoride complexes with 3‐(heteroaryl)‐2‐iminocoumarin ligands bearing both a phenolic hydroxyl group (acting as a fluorogenic center) and an N‐aryl substituent (acting as a stabilizing moiety) have been synthesized in good yields by applying a straightforward two‐step method. These novel fluorogenic dyes belong to the family of “Boricos” (D. Frath et al., Chem. Commun.­ 2013 , 49, 4908–4910) and are the first examples of phenol‐based fluorophores of which the photophysical properties in the green‐yellow spectral range are dramatically improved by N,N‐chelation of a boron atom. Modulation of their fluorescence properties through reversible chemical modification of their phenol moieties has been demonstrated by the preparation of the corresponding 2,4‐dinitrophenyl (DNP) ethers, which led to a dramatic “OFF‐ON” fluorescence response upon reaction with thiols. Additionally, to expand the scope of these “7‐hydroxy‐Borico” derivatives, particularly in biolabeling, amine or carboxylic acid functionalities amenable to (bio)conjugation have been introduced within their scaffold. Their utility has been demonstrated in the preparation of fluorescent bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugates and “Borico”‐DOTA‐like scaffolds in an effort to design novel monomolecular multimodal fluorescence‐ radioisotope imaging agents.     

Tunable light‐harvesting polymers containing embedded dipolar chromophores for polymer solar cell applications

A series of light‐harvesting conjugated polymers were designed and synthesized for polymer solar cells. These newly designed polymers comprise an unusual two‐dimensional conjugated structure with an electron‐rich thiophene–triphenylamine backbone and stable planar indacenodithiophene π‐bridges terminated with tunable electron acceptors. It was found that the electron‐withdrawing strength of the acceptor could be used to manipulate the energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and bandgap (as much as 0.3 eV), generating derivatives with complementary absorbance in the visible spectrum. This approach provides great flexibility in fine tuning the electronic and optical properties of the resultant polymers and facilitates the investigation of how these chemical modifications alter the subsequent photovoltaic properties of these materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis of 10‐amino‐9‐aryl‐2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10‐octahydroacridine‐1,8‐dione derivatives

A series of novel 10‐amino‐9‐aryl‐2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10‐octahydroacridine‐1,8‐dione derivatives 4 were synthesized by hydrazine or phenylhydrazine and 9‐aryl‐1,8‐dioxo‐2,3,4,5,6,7,9‐heptahydroxanthene derivatives 3 , which were prepared by 5‐substituted‐1,3‐cyclohexanedione 1 and aromatic aldehydes 2 in the presence of concentrated H₂SO₄ as a catalyst in water. The structures of all compounds were characterized by IR, MS, ¹H‐NMR, and elemental analysis, and the title compounds possess good fluorescence properties. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2012).     

Asymmetrical Fluorene[2,3‐b]benzo[d]thiophene Derivatives: Synthesis,Solid‐State Structures,and Application in Solution‐Processable Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

A series of novel asymmetrical fused compounds containing the backbone of fluorene[2,3‐b]benzo[d]thiophene (FBT) were effectively synthesized and fully characterized. Single‐crystal X‐ray studies demonstrated that the length of the substituent side chains greatly affects the solid‐state packing of the obtained fused compounds. DFT, photophysical, and electrochemical studies all showed that the FBTs have large band gaps, low‐lying HOMO energy levels, and therefore good stability toward oxidation. Moreover, the substituents strongly influence the fluorescence properties of the resulting FBT derivatives. The di‐n‐hexyl compound exhibits intense fluorescence in solution with the highest quantum yield of up to 91 %. Solution‐processed green phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes with the di‐n‐butyl derivative as the host material exhibited a maximum brightness of 14 185 cd m^?2 and a luminescence efficiency of 12 cd A^?1.     

Chlorin–Bacteriochlorin Energy‐transfer Dyads as Prototypes for Near‐infrared Molecular Imaging Probes: Controlling Charge‐transfer and Fluorescence Properties in Polar Media

The photophysical properties of two energy‐transfer dyads that are potential candidates for near‐infrared (NIR) imaging probes are investigated as a function of solvent polarity. The dyads ( FbC‐FbB and ZnC‐FbB ) contain either a free base (Fb) or zinc (Zn) chlorin (C) as the energy donor and a free base bacteriochlorin (B) as the energy acceptor. The dyads were studied in toluene, chlorobenzene, 1,2‐dichlorobenzene, acetone, acetonitrile and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). In both dyads, energy transfer from the chlorin to bacteriochlorin occurs with a rate constant of ～(5–10 ps)^?1 and a yield of >99% in nonpolar and polar media. In toluene, the fluorescence yields (Φ _f = 0.19) and singlet excited‐state lifetimes (τ～5.5 ns) are comparable to those of the benchmark bacteriochlorin. The fluorescence yield and excited‐state lifetime decrease as the solvent polarity increases, with quenching by intramolecular electron (or hole) transfer being greater for FbC‐FbB than for ZnC‐FbB in a given solvent. For example, the Φ _f and τ values for FbC‐FbB in acetone are 0.055 and 1.5 ns and in DMSO are 0.019 and 0.28 ns, whereas those for ZnC‐FbB in acetone are 0.12 and 4.5 ns and in DMSO are 0.072 and 2.4 ns. The difference in fluorescence properties of the two dyads in a given polar solvent is due to the relative energies of the lowest energy charge‐transfer states, as assessed by ground‐state redox potentials and supported by molecular‐orbital energies derived from density functional theory calculations. Controlling the extent of excited‐state quenching in polar media will allow the favorable photophysical properties of the chlorin–bacteriochlorin dyads to be exploited in vivo. These properties include very large Stokes shifts (85 nm for FbC‐FbB , 110 nm for ZnC‐FbB ) between the red‐region absorption of the chlorin and the NIR fluorescence of the bacteriochlorin (λ _f = 760 nm), long bacteriochlorin excited‐state lifetime (～5.5 ns), and narrow (≤20 nm) absorption and fluorescence bands. The latter will facilitate selective excitation/detection and multiprobe applications using both intensity‐ and lifetime‐imaging techniques.     

Stable Red‐Emissive Cationic Dithienotropylium Dyes

A series of thiophene‐fused tropylium ions, containing various electron‐donating amino groups at the terminal positions, was synthesized. The fusion of the thiophene rings, as well as the presence of the terminal amino groups endows the cationic tropylium ion with excellent stability and high pK_R⁺ values. X‐ray crystallographic analysis of these compounds revealed a pronounced quinoidal character for the amino‐substituted dithienotropylium skeletons. These compounds exhibit attractive photophysical properties such as strong absorption in the visible region combined with red fluorescence. Theoretical calculations suggested that the 3,3′‐bithiophene substructure should be crucial for attaining these photophysical properties.     

New Conjugated Oligothiophenes Containing the Unique Arrangement of Internal Adjacent [All]‐S,S‐Oxygenated Thiophene Fragments

The quest for obtaining conjugated oligothiophene‐containing molecules with narrower HOMO–LUMO gaps and higher oxidation and reduction potentials is the subject of this study. Molecules containing the bithiophene tetraoxide ( 2 ) and the terthiophene hexaoxide ( 3 ) moieties were prepared and studied. They were obtained by transferring oxygen atoms to the corresponding dibromo oligothiophenes with the HOF ? CH₃CN complex and then cross‐coupling them with either thiophene‐ or acetylene tin derivatives. The photophysical and electrochemical studies of the products revealed that this particular class of mixed thiophenes is characterized by significantly smaller frontier orbital gaps and higher oxidation and reduction potentials compared with any other arrangement of oligothiophenes including various [all]‐S,S‐oxygenated thiophene derivatives.     

Tuning the Photophysical Properties of BODIPY Molecules by π‐Conjugation with Fischer Carbene Complexes

The synthesis, structure, and photophysical properties of novel BODIPY–Fischer alkoxy‐, thio‐, and aminocarbene dyads are reported. The BODIPY chromophore is directly attached to the carbene ligand by an ethylenic spacer, thus forming donor–bridge–acceptor π‐extended systems. The extension of the π‐conjugation is decisive in the equilibrium geometries of the dyads and is clearly reflected in the corresponding absorption and emission spectra. Whereas the BODIPY fragment is mainly isolated in aminocarbene complexes, it is fully conjugated in alkoxycarbene derivatives. The former thus exhibit the characteristic photophysical properties of BODIPY units, whereas complete suppression of the BODIPY fluorescence emission is observed in the latter, as a direct consequence of the strong electron‐accepting character of the (CO)₅M?C moiety. As the π‐acceptor character of the metal–carbene group can be modified, the electronic properties of the conjugated BODIPY can be tuned. Density functional calculations have been carried out to gain insight into the photophysical properties.     

Far‐Red/Near‐Infrared Emissive (1,3‐Dimethyl)barbituric Acid‐Based AIEgens for High‐Contrast Detection of Metastatic Tumors in the Lung

Despite of the enthusiastic research in aggregation‐induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) in recent years, the ones that can be smoothly used for sophisticated biomedical applications such as in vivo bioimaging of pulmonary metastatic tumors during surgery are still limited. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a new series of far‐red/near‐infrared (FR/NIR) fluorescent AIEgens that consist of methoxy‐substituted tetraphenylethene (TPE) as the electron‐donating moiety, (1,3‐dimethyl)barbituric acid as the electron‐withdrawing moiety, and different π‐bridge units. As compared to benzene or 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene, using thiophene as the π‐conjugation unit between the donor and acceptor results in a relatively higher absolute fluorescence quantum yield (14.5 %) in water when formulating the corresponding AIEgens into nanoparticles (AIE dots) with an amphiphilic co‐polymer as the doping matrix. The highly FR/NIR‐emissive thiophene‐based AIE dots are demonstrated to be potent for intraoperative detection of pulmonary metastatic tumors, particularly the micro‐sized ones, with excellent signal‐to‐background ratio.     

Polar Diketopyrrolopyrrole‐Imidazolium Salts as Selective Probes for Staining Mitochondria in Two‐Photon Fluorescence Microscopy

Three rationally designed polar derivatives of diketopyrrolopyrrole consisting of 1,3‐dimethylimidazolium cationic units and benzene, thiophene, or furan rings as π spacers were synthesized and thoroughly studied. The obtained salts are soluble in polar organic solvents and show satisfactory solubility in water, which makes them suitable for the applications in bioimaging. Photophysical measurements revealed that the obtained derivatives are characterized by strong absorption and good fluorescence quantum yields. The corresponding two‐photon properties were also examined and showed that the synthesized salts exhibit large two‐photon absorption cross‐sections reaching 4000 GM (GM=Goeppert‐Mayer unit, 1 GM=10^?50 cm⁴ s photon^?1) and very high two‐photon brightness values exceeding 2000 GM. It was demonstrated that these salts can be safely applied in two‐photon fluorescence microscopy for selective staining of mitochondria in living cells.     

Thieno–Pyrrole‐Fused BODIPY Intermediate as a Platform to Multifunctional NIR Agents

We report the synthesis, photophysical and electrochemical properties, and in vivo fluorescence imaging of a series of new thieno–pyrrole‐fused near‐infrared (NIR) BODIPY agents by using a versatile intermediate as a building block. The versatile thieno–pyrrole‐fused BODIPY intermediate was rationally designed to bear bromo‐substituents and absorb in the mid‐red region (635 nm) to act as an organic electrophile for the development of NIR multifunctional agents. The use of subsequent palladium‐catalyzed and nucleophilic substitution reactions afforded highly conjugated NIR BODIPYs. The novel BODIPYs exhibit long‐wavelength absorptions in the NIR region (650–840 nm). The agents produce sharp fluorescence bands, and most of them display respectable quantum yields of fluorescence (0.05–0.87) useful for biomedical imaging, as demonstrated by in vivo imaging with SBDPiR740 . Interestingly, a number of agents in the series that are non‐halogenated were reactive to O₂ at the triplet photo‐excited state coupled with a favorable redox potential and decent fluorescence, and hence could be potential candidates for use as photosensitizers in fluorescence‐guided photodynamic therapy. Furthermore, the synthetic approach allows further functionalization of the highly conjugated NIR BODIPYs to tune the excited states (PET, ICT) and to conjugate targeting moieties for enhanced biological applications.     

Synthesis of 5‐Acyl‐2‐Amino‐3‐Cyanothiophenes: Chemistry and Fluorescent Properties

Independent of the substrate structure and reaction conditions, 3‐amino‐2‐cyanothioacrylamides, which contain two active electrophilic centers, were shown to interact with various active halo methylene compounds under mild conditions to afford 5‐acyl‐2‐amino‐3‐cyanothiophenes as the only products. A series of new polyfunctional thiophene derivatives with a rare combination of functionalities were synthesized, and their photophysical properties were experimentally and computationally investigated. The calculated electronic characteristics of the ground and excited states were compared to the experimental results, which provided a good understanding of the relationship between the optoelectronic properties and the molecular structures. After absorption of light quanta, the systems populate an intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT) Franck–Condon state, and emission occurs from a twisted ICT minimum.     

Preparation and Acid‐Responsive Photophysical Properties of T‐Shaped π‐Conjugated Molecules Containing a Benzimidazole Junction

T‐shaped π‐conjugated molecules with an N‐methyl‐benzimidazole junction have been synthesized and their acid‐responsive photophysical properties owing to the change in the π‐conjugation system are discussed. T‐shaped π‐conjugated molecules consist of two orthogonal π‐conjugated systems including a phenyl thiophene extended from the 2‐position and alkyl phenylenes connected through various π‐spacers from the 4,7‐positions of the N‐methyl‐benzimidazole junction. The π‐spacers, such as thiophene, ethyne, and ethane, have an effect on the acid response of photophysical properties in terms of changes in conformation, excited‐state energy and charge‐transfer (CT) characteristics. In particular, the π‐conjugated molecule with ethynyl spacers exhibited a marked redshift in the fluorescence spectrum with a large Stokes shift upon the addition of acid, whereas the other molecules showed substantial quenching. The redshift in emission was studied in detail by temperature‐dependent fluorescence measurements, which indicated the transition to a CT state over the finite activation energy at the excited state. The change in the frontier molecular orbitals upon acid addition was further discussed by means of DFT calculations.     

Isophorone‐based organometallic chromophores: Synthesis,characterization and investigation of electro‐optical properties

A series of hybrid donor–acceptor complexes with a ferrocene moiety and isophorone derivatives were synthesized. Data from ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, Fourier transform infrared, atomic absorption and mass spectroscopies and CHN analysis supported the predicted structure of the products. A comparative investigation was performed using UV–visible, cyclic voltammetry and fluorescence measurements. Density functional theory was used to optimize the chromophore structure and calculation of highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels. The ferrocene/isophorone hybrids show useful properties for further development and studies as electro‐optic materials.     

Structure‐Dependent Electronic Nature of Star‐Shaped Oligothiophenes,Probed by Ensemble and Single‐Molecule Spectroscopy

We have investigated the photophysical properties of star‐shaped oligothiophenes with three terthiophene arms (meta to each other, S3 ) or six terthiophene arms (ortho‐, meta‐, and para‐arranged, S6 ) connected to an ethynylbenzene core to elucidate the relationship between their molecular structure and electronic properties by using a combination of ensemble and single‐molecule spectroscopic techniques. We postulate two different conformations for molecules S3 and S6 on the basis of the X‐ray structure of hexakis(5‐hexyl‐2‐thienlyethynyl)benzene and suggest the coexistence of these conformers by using spectroscopic methods. From the steady‐state spectroscopic data of compound S6 , we show that the exciton is delocalized over the core structure, but that the meta‐linkage in compound S3 prevents the electronic communication between the arms. However, in single‐molecule spectroscopic measurements, we observed that some molecules of compound S3 showed long fluorescence lifetimes (about 1.4 ns) in the fluorescence‐intensity trajectories, which indicated that π electrons were delocalized along the meta linker. Based on these observations, we suggest that the delocalized exciton is intensely sensitive towards the dihedral angle between the core and the adjacent thiophene ring, as well as to the substituted position of the terthiophene arms. Our results highlight that the fluorescence lifetimes of compounds S3 and S6 are strongly correlated with the spatial location of their excitons, which is mainly affected by their conformation, that is, whether the innermost thiophene rings are facing each other or not. More interestingly, we observed that the difference between the degrees of ring‐torsional flexibility of compounds S3 and S6 results in their sharply contrasting fluorescence properties, such as a change in fluorescence intensity as a function of temperature.     

Bandgap engineering of indenofluorene‐based conjugated copolymers with pendant donor‐π‐acceptor chromophores for photovoltaic applications

Three narrow‐band‐gap conjugated copolymers based on indenofluorene and triphenylamine with pendant donor‐π‐acceptor chromophores were successfully synthesized by post‐functionalization approach. All the polymers have good solubility in common solvents and excellent thermal stability. The photophysical properties, energy levels and band gaps of the polymers were well manipulated by introducing different acceptor groups onto the end of their conjugated side chains. By using different acceptor groups, the band gaps of the polymers were narrowed from 1.86 to 1.53 eV by lowering their lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels, whereas their relatively deep highest occupied molecular orbital levels of approximately ?5.35 eV were maintained. Bulk‐heterojunction solar cells with these polymers as electron donors and (6,6)‐phenyl‐C₇₁‐butyric acid methyl ester as acceptor showed power conversion efficiencies as high as 3.1% and high open circuit voltages more than 0.88 eV. The relationships between the performance and film morphology, energy levels, charge mobilities were discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011