Benchmarking of Density Functionals for the Description of Optical Properties of Newly Synthesized π-Conjugated TADF Blue Emitters

Computational modeling of the optical characteristics of organic molecules with potential for thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) may assist markedly the development of more efficient emitting materials for organic light-emitting diodes. Recent theoretical studies in this area employ mostly methods from density functional theory (DFT). In order to obtain accurate predictions within this approach, the choice of a proper functional is crucial. In the current study, we focus on testing the performance of a set of DFT functionals for estimation of the excitation and emission energy and the excited singlet-triplet energy gap of three newly synthesized compounds with capacity for TADF. The emitters are designed specifically to enable charge transfer by π-electron conjugation, at the same time possessing high-energy excited triplet states. The functionals chosen for testing are from various groups ranging from gradient-corrected through global hybrids to range-separated ones. The results show that the monitored optical properties are especially sensitive to how the long-range part of the exchange energy is treated within the functional. The accurate functional should also be able to provide well balanced distribution of the π-electrons among the molecular fragments. Global hybrids with moderate (less than 0.4) share of exact exchange (B3LYP, PBE0) and the meta-GGA HSE06 are outlined as the best performing methods for the systems under study. They can predict all important optical parameters correctly, both qualitatively and quantitatively.     

Luminescent Surface-Tethered Polymer Brush Materials

Surface-tethered polymers are unique molecular architectures that have been recently used in advanced sensors, electronics and biomedical applications. However, techniques for characterizing these materials in their surface-tethered form remain limited. The incorporation of luminescent functionality into these materials has enabled new characterization methods, while also unlocking new applications in optoelectronics, stenography and sensing. Micron-scale photolithography techniques have recently enabled the preparation of high-resolution patterns, as well as architectures with unique photophysical properties. Herein, we provide an overview of the techniques used to prepare luminescent polymer brush materials and their applications in stimuli-responsive sensors, cell adhesion materials, and optoelectronics. We also provide our perspective on the promising future uses of surface-tethered polymers, as well as the short-term challenges and opportunities in the field.     

两个基于2,5-二甲氧基对苯二甲酸和咪唑衍生物的超分子钴配位聚合物的结构及光催化反应

本文以咪唑衍生物为配体,通过水热合成法与钴离子制备出两个配位聚合物:{[Co(DTA)(1,4-DIB)(H₂O)]·H₂O}_n(1)和[Co(DTA)(1,3-BMIB)]_n(2)(1,4-DIB=1,4-二(1H-咪唑-1-基)苯; 1,3-BMIB=1,3-二(4-甲基-1H-咪唑-1-基)苯;H₂DTA=2,5-二甲氧基对苯二甲酸)。利用X射线单晶衍射、粉末衍射、热失重、元素分析、红外光谱以及固体紫外-可见光谱等对两个配合物进行了表征。结构分析证实配合物1和2是通过二维结构堆积成的三维超分子化合物。粉末衍射测试则显示两个配合物在水中有很好的稳定性。固体紫外-可见光谱显示两个配合物属半导体材料,对紫外-可见光有很强的吸收作用。在光催化实验中,配合物1和2可加快亚甲基蓝的降解速度。     

Chemical bonding in representative astrophysically relevant neutral,cation, and anion HCnH chains

Most existing studies assign a polyynic and cumulenic character of chemical bonding in carbon-based chains relying on values of the bond lengths. Building on our recent work, in this paper we add further evidence on the limitations of such an analysis and demonstrate the significant insight gained via natural bond analysis. Presently reported results include atomic charges, natural bond order and valence indices obtained from ab initio computations for representative members of the astrophysically relevant neutral and charged HC_2k/2k+1H chain family. They unravel a series of counter-intuitive aspects and/or help naive intuition in properly understanding microscopic processes, e.g., electron removal from or electron attachment to a neutral chain. Demonstrating that the Wiberg indices adequately quantify the chemical bonding structure of the HC_2k/2k+1H chains—while the often heavily advertised Mayer indices do not—represents an important message conveyed by the present study.     

Water-assisted mechanical testing of polymeric thin-films

Thin films with a nanometer-scale thickness are of great interest to both scientific and industrial communities due to their numerous applications and unique behaviors different from the bulk. However, the understanding of thin-film mechanics is still greatly hampered due to their intrinsic fragility and the lack of commercially available experimental instruments. In this review, we first discuss the progression of thin-film mechanical testing methods based on the supporting substrate: film-on-solid substrate method, film-on-water tensile tests, and water-assisted free-standing tensile tests. By comparing past studies on a model polymer, polystyrene, the effect of different substrates and confinement effect on the thin-film mechanics is evaluated. These techniques have generated fruitful scientific knowledge in the field of organic semiconductors for the understanding of structure–mechanical property relationships. We end this review by providing our perspective for their bright prospects in much broader applications and materials of interest.     

Copper(II) perchlorate complexes with antipyrine: synthesis,structure, cytotoxicity and DFT calculations

The synthesis, structure and properties of copper(II) perchlorate complexes with antipyrine (AP), [Cu(AP)₄(H₂O)](ClO₄)₂ and [Cu(AP)₅](ClO₄)₂, are described and compared with those of alternative compounds containing different AP ligands.     

一种新型双吡啶悬臂Mn(Ⅱ)配合物的合成、晶体结构及DNA结合能力研究

通过3,3′-((乙烷-1,2-二基双(2-甲基吡啶杂氮二基)双(亚甲基))双(2-羟基-5-甲基苯甲醛)与2-羟基-1,3-丙二胺的缩合反应得到一种具有双吡啶悬臂的双核锰配合物。通过X射线单晶衍射确定了该配合物结构,结果显示其分子式为[Mn₂(C₃₇H₄₃N₆O₆)]·(ClO₄)₂。该配合物属于单斜晶系,P2₁/c空间群,晶胞参数为:a=1.096 50(19) nm, b=1.419 5(3) nm, c=3.109 4(5) nm, β=108.153(5)°。进一步分析表明两个二价锰离子分别与(N_amine)₂(N_imine)₂O₃和(N_imine)₂O₄体系配位,它们与配位原子形成的几何构型分别是十面体和扭曲的八面体。两个中心锰离子距离为0.331 6 nm,由酚氧原子和醋酸根共同桥联。另外,本文也利用伏安法和黏度法对该配合物与小牛胸腺DNA的结合能力进行研究,实验结果表明它们之间的结合方式为弱的插入作用。     

Functional Groups Assisted Tunable Dielectric Permittivity of Guest-Free Zn-Based Coordination Polymers for Gate Dielectrics

The dielectric properties of coordination polymers has been a topic of recent interest, but the role of different functional groups on the dielectric properties of these polymers has not yet been fully addressed. Herein, the effects of electron-donating (R=NH₂) and electron-withdrawing (R=NO₂) groups on the dielectric behavior of such materials were investigated for two thermally stable and guest-free Zn-based coordination polymers, [Zn(L₁)(L₂)]_n ( 1 ) and [Zn(L₁)(L₃)]_n ( 2 ) [L₁=2-(2-pyridyl) benzimidazole (Pbim), L₂=5-aminoisophthalate (Aip), and L₃=5-nitroisophthalate (Nip)]. The results of dielectric studies of 1 revealed that it possesses a high dielectric constant (κ=65.5 at 1 kHz), while compound 2 displayed an even higher dielectric constant (κ=110.3 at 1 kHz). The electron donating and withdrawing effects of the NH₂ and NO₂ substituents induce changes in the polarity of the polymers, which is due to the inductive effect from the aryl ring for both NO₂ and NH₂. Theoretical results from density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which also support the experimental findings, show that both compounds have a distinct electronic behavior with diverse wide bandgaps. The significance of the current work is to provide information about the structure-dielectric property relationships. So, this study promises to pave the way for further research on the effects of different functional groups on coordination polymers on their dielectric properties.     

Reactivity of a N-Coordinated Germylene-Borane Complex: From Ge→B to Ge→Ga Coordination

Reactivity studies of the Ge^II→B complex L(Cl)Ge⋅BH₃ ( 1 ; L=2-Et₂NCH₂-4,6-tBu₂-C₆H₂) were performed to determine the effect on the Ge^II→B donation. N-coordinated compounds L(OtBu)Ge⋅BH₃ ( 2 ) and [LGe⋅BH₃]₂ ( 3 ) were prepared. The possible tuning of the Ge^II→B interaction was proved experimentally, yielding compounds 1-PPh₂-8-(LGe)-C₁₀H₆ ( 4 ) and L(Cl)Ge⋅GaCl₃ ( 5 ) without a Ge^II→B interaction. In 5 , an unprecedented Ge^II→Ga coordination was revealed. The experimental results were complemented by a theoretical study focusing on the bonding in 1 − 5 . The different strength of the Ge^II→E (E=B, Ga) donation was evaluated by using energy decomposition analysis. The basicity of different L(X)Ge groups through proton affinity is also assessed.     

Systematic Modulation of Thiol Functionalities in Inexpensive Porous Polymers for Effective Mercury Removal

Through accumulation, mercury contamination in aquatic systems still poses serious health risks despite the strict regulations on drinking water and industrial discharge. One effective strategy against this is adsorptive removal, in which a suitably functionalized porous material is added to water treatment protocols. Thiol (SH) group-grafted structures perform commendably; however, insufficient attention is paid to the cost, scalability, and reusability or how the arrangement of sulfur atoms could affect the Hg^II binding strength. We used an inexpensive and scalable porous covalent organic polymer (COP-130) to systematically introduce thiol functional groups with precise chain lengths and sulfur content. Thiol-functionalized COP-130 demonstrates enhanced wettability and excellent Hg^II uptake of up to 936 mg g⁻¹, with fast kinetics and exceptionally high selectivity. These Hg adsorbents are easily regenerated with HCl and can be used at least six times without loss of capacity even after treatment with strong acid, a rare performance in the domain of Hg-removal research.