Syntheses and properties of 1,6 and 1,7 perylene diimides and tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

Via Sonogashira cross-coupling with different alkynes, 1,6 and 1,7 perylene diimides (PDIs) and perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydrides (PTCDs) were synthesized from the corresponding regioisomeric mixture of 1,6/1,7-dibromo precursors. Both bulky triphenyl propyne (TPP) groups and nonbulky hexyl groups allow for facile chromatographic separation. The optical properties of these compounds are discussed. Neutral bay substituents hypsochromically shift both the absorption and emission through deformation from planarity of the perylene core.     

Synthesis,characterization, photophysical and electrochemical properties of oxygen bridged twisted heptatomic biphenyl substituted perylene diimides

The perylene diimide derivatives (s-THBPDI and d-THBPDI) bearing oxygen bridged twisty heptatomic biphenyl in the bay positions of the perylene core through acetylene bond were designed and synthesized. The photophysical properties of the functionalized dyes were investigated in solution and solid state by UV-vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Their UV-vis and PL spectrum both exhibited the different concentration-dependent behaviors due to the difference of chemical structure. Moreover, cyclic voltammetry results indicated that the introduction of oxygen bridged twisted heptatomic biphenyl could decrease the LUMO energy level of the perylene diimide effectively and made it promising material in photoelectric devices.     

Naphthalene and perylene diimides for organic transistors

The development of ambient stable organic n-channel semiconductor molecules for thin-film transistors has experienced a tremendous impetus in the last decade to close the gap in performance in comparison to that of their p-channel counterparts. Especially naphthalene and perylene tetracarboxylic diimides (NDI and PDI) have shown to be the most valuable building blocks to achieve this challenging goal and to gain insight into the molecular structure-transistor performance relationship. Remaining challenges and new emerging research fields for these n-type semiconductors are the optimization of their deposition on flexible substrates, the control of their long term ambient stability and their implementation in complementary transistor circuits, display and sensor devices.     

1,6- and 1,7-regioisomers of dinitro- and diamino-substituted perylene bisimides: synthesis,photophysical and electrochemical properties

1,6- and 1,7-regioisomers of dinitro- (1,6-3 and 1,7-3) and diamino-substituted perylene bisimides (1,6-1 and 1,7-1) were synthesized. The regioisomers 1,6-3 and 1,7-3 were successfully separated by high performance liquid chromatography and characterized by 500 MHz ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Subsequently, the reduction of 1,6-3 and 1,7-3 afforded the corresponding diaminoperylene bisimides 1,6-1 and 1,7-1, respectively. This is the first time 1,6-regioisomers of dinitro- and diamino-substituted perylene bisimides are obtained in pure form. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of 1,6-3 and 1,7-3 were found to be almost the same. However, the regioisomers 1,6-1 and 1,7-1 exhibit significant differences in their optical characteristics. The absorption spectrum of 1,6-1 covers a larger part of the visible region compared to that of 1,7-1. Upon excitation, 1,6-1 also show larger dipole moment change than that of 1,7-1. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations are reported on these dyes in order to rationalize their electronic structure and absorption spectra.     

Orientation of bromination in bay-region of perylene diimides

We found that the entering position of the bromination in the bay-region (e.g., 1,6,7,12-positions) was precisely determined by the orientation director(s), either individually or cooperatively. In particular, a combination of two directors shows precisely positioning for the third entering bromo with an effect of ‘1+1>2’.     

Spectral properties and G-quadruplex DNA binding selectivities of a series of unsymmetrical perylene diimides

A series of new unsymmetrical perylene diimides have been synthesized to investigate their binding selectivities to G-quadruplex DNA structure, a unique four-stranded DNA motif, which is significant to the regulation of telomerase activity. The structures of the perylene diimides have been characterized by IR spectrophotometer, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS, TGA and time-resolved instruments. Spectrochemical behaviors have been investigated by visible absorption and fluorescence emission spectra. The spectral characterization of the compounds has been investigated in five common organic solvents of different polarity and in water (in 170 mM phosphate buffer at pH 6). Marked red shifts of absorbance and fluorescence emission bands of the compounds in aqueous solution are compared with the other organic solutions. The fluorescence quantum yields are determined low in more polar solvents and also calculated to be about less than about 0.05 in aqueous solution because of the aggregation effects. Photodegradation rate constants (k_p) of the synthesized compounds have been compared under xenon lamp irradiation in acetonitrile solution.Binding abilities of the synthesized perylene diimides to different form of DNA strands have been investigated by visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy in the phosphate buffer solutions. Also, pH-dependent aggregation and G-quadruplex DNA binding selectivity of these ligands have been compared. Among these ligands, N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-N′-(4-pyridyl)-perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (PYPER) has been found to be the most selective interactive ligand for G-quadruplex formed in the G4′-DNA structure. PYPER has shown a significant selectivity to G4′-DNA which is comprised of d(TTAGGG) repeats, known as human telomeres, in the phosphate buffer at pH 6. The absorption maximum of the PYPER/G4′-DNA complex has given bathochromic shift of 7 nm with respect to the absorption maximum of DNA-free solution of PYPER in phosphate buffer at pH 6. Fluorescence quenching experiments between PYPER and G4′-DNA show that PYPER demonstrates about a 9.3-fold selectivity for binding to G4′-DNA versus ds-DNA base pairs with the bimolecular rate constant of 0.95 × 10¹² M⁻¹ s⁻¹.     

A self-assembly phase diagram from amphiphilic perylene diimides

Supramolecular forces govern self-assembly and further determine the final morphologies of self-assemblies. However, how they control the morphology remains hitherto largely unknown. In this paper, we have discovered that the self-assembled nanostructures of rigid organic semiconductor chromophores can be finely controlled by the secondary forces by fine-tuning the surrounding environments. In particular, we used water/methanol/hydrochloric acid to tune the environment and observed five different phases that resulted from versatile molecular self-assemblies. The representative self-assembled nanostructures were nanotapes, nanoparticles and their 1D assemblies, rigid microplates, soft nanoplates, and hollow nanospheres and their 1D assemblies, respectively. The specific nanostructure formation is governed by the water fraction, R(w) , and the concentration of hydrochloric acid, [HCl]. For instance, nanotapes formed at low [HCl] and R(w) values, whereas hollow nanospheres formed when either the HCl concentration is high, or the water fraction is low, or both. The significance of this paper is that it provides a useful phase diagram by using R(w) and [HCl] as two variables. Such a self-assembly phase diagram maps out the fine control that the secondary forces have on the self-assembled morphology, and thus allows one to guide the formation toward a desired nanostructure self-assembled from rigid organic semiconductor chromophores by simply adjusting the two key parameters of R(w) and [HCl].     

Selective bromination of perylene diimides under mild conditions

A novel method for the bromination of perylene diimides, PDI (1), under mild conditions is reported. Variation of the reaction conditions allows mono- and dibromination of PDIs to afford 2 and 3 (these can be separated through standard procedures) or exclusive dibromination to afford 3. Pure 1,7 regioisomers are obtained through repetitive crystallization. The structure of 1,7-3b was elucidated by a single-crystal X-ray analysis. The facility of the bromination reaction, which decreases in the order 1a > 1b > 1c, depends on PDI aggregation propensities. Monobrominated PDIs were utilized for the syntheses of novel unsymmetrical piperidinyl (4a and 4b) and trimethylsilylethynyl derivatives (5a and 5b). Computational studies (DFT) on imide substituent rotation in PDIs reveal that in the case of bulky groups there is a restricted rotation leading to isomers, in agreement with our experimental results. An aromatic core twist in PDIs bearing one and two bromine substituents was also investigated by DFT.     

Photophysical and electrochemical properties of chlorophyll a-cyclodextrins complexes

In this work, we have studied the interactions between two different cyclodextrins (CDs) and chlorophyll a (Chl a) in the presence of electrolyte by means of absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism and cyclic voltammetry. The results obtained indicate that the presence of both CDs gives rise to an increase of Chl a solubility in water. In particular, heptakis-(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (TRIMEB) favours the dissolution of Chl a monomer in aqueous solution, whereas the presence of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (beta-HP-CD) promotes the pigment aggregation.     

Valence electronic properties of n-channel organic materials based on fluorinated derivatives of perylene diimides

The valence electronic states of three kinds of fluorinated derivatives of perylene diimides, D2MFPP, D3MFPP, and D4MFPP, on Cu(110) and SiO(2)Si surface were studied by photoemission and density functional calculations. When these organic molecules were deposited on the Cu(110) and thermally oxidized SiO(2) surfaces, five well-resolved photoemission features originating from the molecules were observed. On Cu(110) surface, two emission features with pi-like character increased their binding energy with increasing the coverage of organic molecule, indicating a strong interaction between the organic molecules and Cu substrate. The density functional calculations suggest flat-lying adsorption geometry for D3MFPP and D4MFPP on Cu(110) surface.     

Photophysics of water soluble perylene diimides in surfactant solutions

Our previous photophysical study of water soluble perylene diimides (WS-PDIs) has suggested that WS-PDIs are present in aqueous solution in partially aggregated form (Tang, T. J.; Qu, J. Q.; Müllen, K.; Webber, S. E. Langmuir 2006, 22, 7610-7616) In this article we present a study of the effect of surfactants (dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) on the photophysics of WS-PDIs. Adding surfactant to WS-PDI solutions is accompanied by their increased fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime and a more structured absorption spectra. We are able to demonstrate that above the surfactant critical micelle concentration (cmc) the WS-PDI moieties are molecularly dispersed and isolated from each other. Our findings are consistent with the existence of weakly interacting aggregates of WS-PDIs in pure water, which can be broken up by surfactants even below the cmc, although we cannot rule out that the observed photophysical changes arise from modifying the local environment of molecularly solubilized WS-PDIs (e.g., local polarity or modification of the molecular planarity).     

Energy transfer in molecular layer-by-layer films of water-soluble perylene diimides

Multilayer films of water-soluble anionic and cationic perylene diimide (PDI) moieties have been prepared using the molecular layer-by-layer method described in an earlier publication (Tang, T. J.; Qu, J. Q.; Müllen, K.; Webber, S. E. Langmuir 2006, 22, 26-28) and the fluorescence intensity compared with and without a base layer prepared using an anionic terrylene diimide dye (n-TDI), which serves as an energy-trapping layer for the PDI exciton. The fluorescence quenching data could be fit equally well to a modification of a model used by Kuhn to describe energy transfer from a J aggregate or a model developed by Kenkre and Wong to describe excitonic transfer. For both models, we obtain a characteristic energy-transfer distance on the order of 5.4 nm. Fluorescence quenching of the PDI via a single F?rster energy-transfer step to the n-TDI layer is ruled out on the basis of the observed power-law dependence. We also consider a model in which the excitation is trapped at the outermost surface. This model provides a reasonable fit to the data only if the Kuhn relationship is used.     

Synthesis and optical and electrochemical properties of core-fluorinated perylene bisimides

[reaction: see text] A series of bay position difluoro- or tetrafluoro-substituted perylene bisimides have been synthesized by nucleophilic halogen exchange reaction of the corresponding dibromo- and tetrachloro-substituted perylene bisimides, respectively, with potassium fluoride. Compared to the parent unsubstituted perylene bisimides, these compounds display hypsochromically shifted absorption and fluorescence spectra with fluorescence quantum yields up to unity enabling bright yellow emission. Their electrochemical properties and crystal structures of two perylene bisimides are also reported.     

Living ring-opening metathesis polymerization of norbornenes bay-functionalized perylene diimides

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)-derived poly(oxanorbornene imide)s bearing bay-linked mono - alkoxy -M1 and 1,7-di-alkoxy M2 functionalized perylene diimides (PDIs) were synthesized using Grubb's third ( G3 ) and Hoveyda-Grubbs second generation ( HG2 ) ruthenium-alkylidene metathesis initiators. The mono-alkoxy-derived PDI-based non-ladderphane polymer poly M1 displayed 67% to 77% of the trans olefin content in the polymer chain depending on the initiator used for the polymerization. When using the symmetrical 1,7-di-alkoxy-derived PDI-based polymer poly M2 having the ladderphane type-structure, this displayed a significant amount of cis and trans olefin contents in the polymer chains, irrespective of the type of initiators used for the polymerization. ROMP of both monomers M1 and M2 proceeded in a well-controlled manner with a linear dependence of molecular weight on the monomer/initiator ratio using G3 as initiator. Optical properties of the ladderphane-based poly M2 and non-ladderphane-based poly M1 were characterized in both solution and the film state. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis for all the polymers showed significant π-stacking in the thin film state with ordered molecular packing and closer values of d-spacing for both poly M1 and poly M2 . Film morphology examined by AFM elucidated homogenous smooth polymer surface for both polymers in general, but with some irregularities observed for poly M1 . In addition, CV analysis revealed both polymers could be good candidates as electron-accepting materials, with excellent film-forming ability, and thermal stability.     

Highly soluble perylene tetracarboxylic diimides and tetrathiafulvalene–perylene tetracarboxylic diimide–tetrathiafulvalene triads

Two donor-σ-acceptor-σ-donor triads incorporating tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic diimides (PDI) units were synthesized. The structures of the triads and their intermediates were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS, IR. The results of UV–vis and cyclic voltammetry (CV) of the triads indicated negligible intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) interaction in their ground states. The fluorescence and fluorescence lifetimes of the triads were reduced compared to PDIs, which evidently indicated that photoinduced electron transfer (PET) interaction occurred from the TTF unit to the PDI unit in the excited state. The fluorescence intensity of the triads could be reversibly modulated by sequential oxidation and reduction of the TTF unit using the chemical methods. Therefore two new fluorescence molecular switches based on TTF and PDI units were established.     

Photophysical properties of a tetraphenoxy-substituted perylene bisimide derivative characterized by single-molecule spectroscopy.

We present a detailed study of the photophysical properties of a tetraphenoxy-substituted perylene bisimide derivative. The probe molecules were immobilized in a Shpol'skii matrix of hexadecane and investigated by single-molecule spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures. By using single-molecule spectroscopic techniques we reveal the triplet substate kinetics and the fluorescence quantum yield, and we provide an estimate for the S1-S0 transition dipole moment.     

Molecular layer-by-layer self-assembly of water-soluble perylene diimides through pi-pi and electrostatic interactions

A layer-by-layer deposition process has been carried out for two oppositely charged water-soluble perylene diimide dyes without the use of intervening polyelectrolyte layers. The strong pi-pi interactions between the perylene moieties help stabilize the layers and simultaneously diminish the fluorescence quantum yield of the array without strongly affecting the absorption or fluorescence spectra. There is an alternation of fluorescence intensity according to which perylene species is on the outer layer, which is interpreted as the effect of facile energy transfer between the perylenes.     

Photophysical and (photo)electrochemical properties of a coumarin dye

A new coumarin dye, cyano-{5,5-dimethyl-3-[2-(1,1,6,6-tetramethyl-10-oxo-2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-1H,4H,10H-11-oxa-3a-aza-benzo[de]anthracen-9-yl)vinyl]cyclohex-2-enylidene}-acetic acid (NKX-2753), was prepared and characterized with respect to photophysical and electrochemical properties. It was employed as a dye sensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells and showed efficient photon-to-electron conversion properties. The photocurrent action spectrum exhibited a broad feature with a maximum incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 84% at 540 nm, which is comparable to that for the famous red dye RuL2(NCS)2 (known as N3), where L stands for 2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid. The sandwich-type solar cell with NKX-2753, under illumination of full sun (AM1.5, 100 mW cm(-2)), produced 16.1 mA cm(-2) of short-circuit photocurrent, 0.60 V of open-circuit photovoltage, and 0.69 of fill factor, corresponding to 6.7% of overall energy conversion efficiency using 0.1 M LiI, 0.05 M I2, 0.1 M guanidinium thiocyanate, and 0.6 M 1,2-dimethyl-3-n-propyl-imidazolium iodide in dry acetonitrile as redox electrolyte. In comparison with its analogue NKX-2586 (Langmuir 2004, 20, 4205), NKX-2753 with an extra side ring on the alkene chain produced much higher IPCE values at the same conditions. The side ring acted as a spacer to efficiently prevent dye aggregation when adsorbed on the TiO2 surface, resulting in significant improvements of short-circuit photocurrent, open-circuit photovoltage, and fill factor compared with NKX-2586 that aggregated on the TiO2 surface.     

Water-soluble perylene diimides: Solution photophysics and layer-by-layer incorporation into polyelectrolyte films

Recently the synthesis of water-soluble and fluorescent perylene diimides has been reported (Müllen, K.; et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 1528; Chem.-Eur. J. 2004, 10, 5297). We have characterized the photophysics of two of these compounds (anionic n-PDI, CAS Reg. No. 694438-88-5. and cationic p-PDI, CAS Reg. No. 817207-4-7) in pure water, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and aqueous NaCl. These studies, supported by molecular dynamics simulations, have led to the conclusion that these compounds form weakly interacting aggregated species in pure water. n-PDI and p-PDI have been incorporated in polyelectrolyte films of poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDAC) following the layer-by-layer (LBL) methodology. The optical density and fluorescence intensity of the PDI-LBL films grew linearly with the number of layers, and the PDI was not extracted by subsequent polyelectrolyte deposition. The PDI fluorescence quantum yield was substantially diminished in these films, which we interpret as a self-quenching effect, enhanced by inter- and intralayer energy transfer. Energy-transfer studies to the incorporated cationic dye Brilliant Green (BG) has demonstrated that the BG resides in the same PSS-rich region as p-PDI and is largely excluded from the region that contains n-PDI (PDAC-rich).     

Synthesis, electrochemical, and spectroscopic properties of soluble perylene monoimide diesters

Perylene derivatives are an important class of n-type semiconductors. With the exceptions of bay-substituted and N-swallow-tail alkyl/tert-butyl substituted derivatives, most perylene diimides are insoluble. The recently reported perylene tetraesters are highly soluble, but are less electron-deficient. In this paper, a series of perylene monoimide diesters have been synthesized, which have good solubility and acceptable electron-accepting property due to the introducing of imide and ester groups in one perylene molecule. Their electrochemical properties and structural ordering were examined by cyclovoltammetry and X-ray diffraction technique, respectively. Their absorption and emission spectra are reported and discussed.