Thieno[3,2‐b]Thiophene End‐Capped all‐Sulfur Analog of 3,4‐Ethylenedioxythiophene and its Eletrosynthesized Polymer: Is Distorted Conformation Not Suitable for Electrochromism?

By employing planar thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (TT) as end‐capped units and famous 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) or its all‐sulfur analog 3,4‐ethylenedithiathiophene (EDTT) as cores, two conjugated oligomer, TT‐EDOT‐TT and TT‐EDTT‐TT, have been synthesized and electropolymerized into electrochromic polymer films, P(TT‐EDOT‐TT) and P(TT‐EDTT‐TT), respectively. Due to strongly noncovalent inter/intramolecular interactions from S? S attraction of TT‐EDTT‐TT, it has twisted molecular configuration in contrast to planar TT‐EDOT‐TT. Spectroscopic, electrochemical, morphological as well as theoretical calculation studies of these oligomers or polymers were carried out to reveal the significant influence of such molecular geometry on their physicochemical and optoelectronic properties. According to electrochromic kinetics, P(TT‐EDTT‐TT) presented preferable electrochromic behavior such as the higher optical contrast (70.8%), favorable coloration efficiency (331.3 cm² C^?1) and fast response time (0.72 s). This research will help us deeply understand the effect of spatial organization of precursor molecules on the properties of electrochromic polymers and provides a promising strategy to develop high‐performance electrochromic materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 1041–1048     

An Open‐Circuit Voltage and Power Conversion Efficiency Study of Fullerene Ternary Organic Solar Cells Based on Oligomer/Oligomer and Oligomer/Polymer

Variations in the open‐circuit voltage (V _oc) of ternary organic solar cells are systematically investigated. The initial study of these devices consists of two electron‐donating oligomers, S2 (two units) and S7 (seven units), and the electron‐accepting [6,6]‐phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) and reveals that the V _oc is continuously tunable due to the changing energy of the charge transfer state (E _ct) of the active layers. Further investigation suggests that V _oc is also continuously tunable upon change in E _ct in a ternary blend system that consists of S2 and its corresponding polymer (P11):PC₇₁BM. It is interesting to note that higher power conversion efficiencies can be obtained for both S2:S7:PC₇₁BM and S2:P11:PC₇₁BM ternary systems compared with their binary systems, which can be ascribed to an improved V _oc due to the higher E _ct and an improved fill factor due to the improved film morphology upon the incorporation of S2. These findings provide a new guideline for the future design of conjugated polymers for achieving higher performance of ternary organic solar cells.

     

气相二氧化硅填充极性低聚物的界面与流变

气相二氧化硅(FS)/低聚物纳米复合材料应用广泛于涂料、胶黏剂、锂离子电池、液体防弹衣等诸多领域.然而,极性低聚物与FS表面相互作用复杂,FS/低聚物复合材料(ONCs)的流变响应多种多样.如何实现ONCs流变行为调控,是长期困扰工业界的难题.本文详细总结了FS在ONCs领域的应用,将FS粒子间相互作用与ONCs流变性质相关联,综述ONCs界面层结构的表征、调控手段及界面层与流变行为的关系.结合本课题组对FS/极性低聚物体系界面及流变行为的研究成果,提出未来ONCs领域的2个重要方向,即研究界面结构与粒子-极性低聚物相互作用间的关系,并通过界面设计实现对纳米粒子/极性低聚物复合材料的流变行为的精确调控.     

On the Protein Fibrillation Pathway: Oligomer Intermediates Detection Using ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy

Oligomeric intermediates on the pathway of amyloid fibrillation are suspected as the main cytotoxins responsible for amyloid-related pathogenicity. As they appear to be a part of the lag phase of amyloid fibrillation when analyzed using standard methods such as Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, a more sensitive method is needed for their detection. Here we apply Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode for fast and cheap analysis of destabilized hen-egg-white lysozyme solution and detection of oligomer intermediates of amyloid fibrillation. Standard methods of protein aggregation analysis— Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulphonic acid (ANS) fluorescence were applied and compared to FTIR spectroscopy data. Results show the great potential of FTIR for both, qualitative and quantitative monitoring of oligomer formation based on the secondary structure changes. While oligomer intermediates do not induce significant changes in ThT fluorescence, their secondary structure changes were very prominent. Normalization of specific Amide I region peak intensities by using Amide II peak intensity as an internal standard provides an opportunity to use FTIR spectroscopy for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of biological samples and detection of potentially toxic oligomers, as well as for screening of efficiency of fibrillation procedures.     

Synthesis of a Calix[4]crown‐6 Cone Conformer‐Based Oligomer and its Metal Cation Extraction Abilities

A new calixcrown‐6 oligomer 5 was synthesized by reacting a 1,3‐distal di‐amino derivative of cone p‐tert‐butylcalix[4]crown‐6 with malonyl dichloride. Extraction studies with precursor monomers 2 and 3 and oligomer 5 showed differences in their metal cation extraction behavior and selectivity. Precursors monomers 2 and 3 were selective for Hg²⁺; whereas, oligomer 5 showed high affinity towards both alkali (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and Cs⁺) and heavy metal cations (Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺ and Pb²⁺).     

Coloring–decoloring behavior of fluoroalkyl end‐capped 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid oligomer/acetone composite in methanol

A reddish‐brown fluoroalkyl end‐capped 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) oligomer/acetone composite was prepared by heating the white oligomer powder with acetone at 80 °C for 3 h. The color was not observed in the corresponding non‐fluorinated AMPS oligomer/acetone composite, which was prepared under similar conditions. The coloring was probably caused by the formation of acetone polyaldol condensation products in the fluorinated oligomeric gel network cores. The colored R_F‐(AMPS)_n‐R_F/acetone composite powders were stable and did not exhibit any color change after 2 years in natural light at room temperature. The colored composite powders dissolved in methanol to give a reddish‐brown solution at room temperature. However, the retro‐polyaldol condensation decolored the solution after 1 day at room temperature. This is the first example of the retro‐aldol polycondensation of acetone under mild conditions. The decoloration increased by between 38‐ and 70‐fold under UV irradiation, compared with that in dark conditions. The coloring–decoloring behavior was consistent and repeatable; therefore our fluorinated oligomer/acetone composites are promising candidates for new fluorinated coloring materials. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2555–2564     

Properties and applications of precision oligomer materials; where organic and polymer chemistry join forces

Precise oligomeric materials constitute a growing area of research with implications for various applications as well as fundamental studies. Notably, this field of science which can be termed macro-organic chemistry, draws inspiration from both traditional polymer chemistry and organic synthesis, combining the molecular precision of organic chemistry with the materials properties of macromolecules. Discrete oligomers enable access to unprecedented materials properties, for example, in self-assembled structures, crystallization, or optical properties. The degree of control over oligomer structures resembles many biological systems and enables the design of materials with tailored properties and the development of fundamental structure–property relationships. This Review highlights recent developments in macro-organic chemistry from synthetic concepts to materials properties, with a focus on self-assembly and molecular recognition. Finally, an outlook for future research directions is provided.     

Electrical and photoelectrical behaviour of heterojunctions based on novel oligomeric metal complexes

Naringenin‐based Schiff base ligands with 4‐aminobenzoic hydrazide were obtained as a unilateral form ( L¹ ). The ligand was oligomerized by oxidative polycondensation reaction with NaOCl as an oxidant in an aqueous alkaline medium at 90 °C to form a functional oligomer ( L² ), and its transition metal complexes such as those with Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) were prepared. The monomer and the oligomeric compounds were characterized using various techniques. Optical and electrical properties of the complexes were also investigated. All compounds showed indirect band gaps and they can be accepted as being in the semiconductor class. Organic–inorganic hybrid devices were obtained using n‐Si inorganic semiconductor and the complexes. The characteristic parameters of the devices were determined using current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage measurements in the dark. Photoelectrical properties of the devices were investigated using I–V measurements under a solar simulator with an AM1.5 global filter. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3,4-Thienylene-ethynylene Oligomers

Several well-defined 3,4-thienylene-ethynylene oligomers with different chain lengths have been synthesized and characterized. X-Ray crystallographic analyses proved their unique, totally helical conformations.     

Homogeneous Oligomeric Ligands Prepared via Radical Polymerization that Recognize and Neutralize a Target Peptide

Abiotic ligands that bind to specific biomolecules have attracted attention as substitutes for biomolecular ligands, such as antibodies and aptamers. Radical polymerization enables the production of robust polymeric ligands from inexpensive functional monomers. However, little has been reported about the production of monodispersed polymeric ligands. Herein, we present homogeneous ligands prepared via radical polymerization that recognize epitope sequences on a target peptide and neutralize the toxicity of the peptide. Taking advantage of controlled radical polymerization and separation, a library of multifunctional oligomers with discrete numbers of functional groups was prepared. Affinity screening revealed that the sequence specificity of the oligomer ligands strongly depended on the number of functional groups. The process reported here will become a general step for the development of abiotic ligands that recognize specific peptide sequences.