Corannulene derivatives for organic electronics: From molecular engineering to applications

This paper intends to provide an overview for using corannulene derivatives in organic electronics such as organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), organic solar cells (OSCs), and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). We highlight the rational design strategies, tuning molecular orbital energy levels and arrangement in single crystals of corannulenes. The topological structure and properties of corannulene make it a unique candidate for organic electronics.     

Air‐Stable Spirofluorene‐Containing Ladder‐Type Bis(alkynyl)borane Compounds with Readily Tunable Full Color Emission Properties

A series of air‐stable spiro‐fused ladder‐type boron(III) compounds has been designed, synthesized, and the electrochemistry and photophysical behavior have been characterized. By simply varying the substituents on the pyridine ring and extending the π‐conjugation of the spiro framework, the emission color of these compounds can be easily fine‐tuned spanning the visible spectrum from blue to red. All compounds exhibit a broad and structureless emission band across the entire visible region, assigned as an intramolecular charge‐transfer transition originating from the thiophene of the spiro framework to the pyridine‐borane moieties. In addition, these compounds demonstrate high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 0.81 in dichloromethane solution and 0.86 in doped thin films. Some of the compounds have also been employed as emissive materials, in which solution‐processed organic light‐emitting devices (OLEDs) with tunable emission colors spanning the visible spectrum from blue, green to red have been realized, demonstrating the potential applications of these boron compounds in OLEDs.     

A new strategy for synthesis of branched cyclic peptide by Asn side-chain hydrazide ligation

Here, we report a new strategy for rapid synthesis of branched peptide by side-chain hydrazide ligation at Asn. The hydrazide was converted to thioester at Asn side chain by NaNO₂ and thiol reagent, and sequential ligation with an N-terminus Cys-peptide efficiently afforded the branched peptide. A branched cyclic peptide was successfully synthesized by side-chain ligation with a two-Cys-peptide and formation of a disulfide bond. This approach provides a new way for expeditious synthesis of branched peptides and facilitates the design of neopeptides as functional bio-mimics.     

Ultrathin Co3S4 Nanosheets that Synergistically Engineer Spin States and Exposed Polyhedra that Promote Water Oxidation under Neutral Conditions

Development of efficient and affordable electrocatalysts in neutral solutions is paramount importance for the renewable energy. Herein, we report that the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of Co₃S₄ under neutral conditions can be enhanced by exposed octahedral planes and self‐adapted spin states in atomically thin nanosheets. A HAADF image clearly confirmed that the active octahedra with Jahn–Teller distortions were exposed exclusively. Most importantly, in the atomically thin nanosheets, the spin states of Co³⁺ in the octahedral self‐adapt from low‐spin to high‐spin states. As a result, the synergistic effect endow the Co₃S₄ nanosheets with superior OER performance, with exceptional low onset overpotentials of circa 0.31 V in neutral solutions, which is state‐of‐the‐art among inorganic non‐noble metal compounds.