Synthesis and electronic, photophysical, and electrochemical properties of a series of thienylcarbazoles

A series of thienylcarbazoles were synthesized by Suzuki-Miyaura and Ullmann coupling reactions. In these compounds, the 2-thienyl or 2,2'-bithiophen-5-yl group is connected at the N-, 1,8-, 3,6-, 2,7-, 2,7,N-, or 1,8,N-positions of the carbazole ring. The effects of structural variations on their electronic, photophysical, and electrochemical properties were explored by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and DFT calculations in evaluation of their potential as material components. The thienyl substituents at the 2,7-positions in 4, 5, and 10 are responsible for a high degree of π-conjugation and strong emission with fluorescence quantum yields up to 0.61. The CV on a series of thienylcarbazoles revealed a good electron-donating ability of 3,6-substituted carbazoles 3 and 9. The number of thiophene units was found to affect the extent of π-conjugation, the resulting HOMO-LUMO gaps, and fluorescence efficiency. The crystal structures of 5 and 9 were also disclosed.