N‐Heteroacenes

The synthesis and the property evaluation of several large N‐heteroacenes are discussed. Issues of stability and aromaticity are compared and investigated and a historical perspective of the field is given. Some of the larger heterocyclic materials that are evaluated in this concept article have been around for more than one hundred years, yet their chemistry and properties are not well known/understood.     

Enhanced Performance of Benzothieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (BTT)‐Based Bottom‐Contact Thin‐Film Transistors

Three new benzothieno[3,2‐b]thiophene ( BTT ; 1 ) derivatives, which were end‐functionalized with phenyl ( BTT‐P ; 2 ), benzothiophenyl ( BTT‐BT ; 3 ), and benzothieno[3,2‐b]thiophenyl groups ( BBTT ; 4 ; dimer of 1 ), were synthesized and characterized in organic thin‐film transistors (OTFTs). A new and improved synthetic method for BTT s was developed, which enabled the efficient realization of new BTT ‐based semiconductors. The crystal structure of BBTT was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Within this family, BBTT , which had the largest conjugation of the BTT derivatives in this study, exhibited the highest p‐channel characteristic, with a carrier mobility as high as 0.22 cm² V^?1 s^?1 and a current on/off ratio of 1×10⁷, as well as good ambient stability for bottom‐contact/bottom‐gate OTFT devices. The device characteristics were correlated with the film morphologies and microstructures of the corresponding compounds.     

Enhanced Performance of Solution‐Processed TESPE‐ADT Thin‐Film Transistors

A solution‐processed anthradithiophene derivative, 5,11‐bis(4‐triethylsilylphenylethynyl)anthradithiophene (TESPE‐ADT), is studied for use as the semiconducting material in thin‐film transistors (TFTs). To enhance the electrical performance of the devices, two different kinds of solution processing (spin‐coating and drop‐casting) on various gate dielectrics as well as additional post‐treatment are employed on thin films of TESPE‐ADT, and p‐channel OTFT transport with hole mobilities as high as ～0.12 cm² V^?1 s^?1 are achieved. The film morphologies and formed microstructures of the semiconductor films are characterized in terms of film processing conditions and are correlated with variations in device performance.     

Tetrachlorinated Tetraazaperopyrenes (TAPPs): Highly Fluorescent Dyes and Semiconductors for Air‐Stable Organic n‐Channel Transistors and Complementary Circuits

A range of 2,9‐perfluoroalkyl‐substituted tetraazaperopyrene (TAPP) derivatives ( 1 – 5 ) was synthesised by reacting 4,9‐diamino‐3,10‐perylenequinone diimine (DPDI) with the corresponding carboxylic acid chloride or anhydride in the presence of a base. The reaction of compounds 1 – 4 with dichloroisocyanuric acid (DIC) in concentrated sulphuric acid resulted in the fourfold substitution of the tetraazaperopyrene core, yielding the 2,9‐bisperfluoroalkyl‐4,7,11,14‐tetrachloro‐1,3,8,10‐tetraazaperopyrenes 6 – 9 , respectively. The optical and electrochemical data demonstrate the drastic influence of the core substitution on the properties. All compounds are highly luminescent (fluorescence quantum yields of up to Φ=0.8). The LUMO energies of the tetrachlorinated TAPP derivatives (determined by cyclic voltammetry and computed by DFT calulations) were found to be below ?4 eV. In the course of this work the performance of TAPP derivatives in organic thin‐film transistors (TFTs) was investigated, and their n‐channel characteristics with field‐effect mobilities of up to 0.14 cm² V^?1 s^?1 and an on/off current ratio of >10⁶ were confirmed. Long‐term stabilities of 3–4 months under ambient conditions of the devices were established. Complementary inverters and ring oscillators with n‐channel TFTs based on compound 8 and p‐channel TFTs based on dinaphtho‐[2,3‐b:2′,3′‐f]thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (DNTT) were fabricated on a glass substrate.     

Layered Thiadiazoloquinoxaline‐Containing Long Pyrene‐Fused N‐Heteroacenes

Three thiadiazoloquinoxaline‐containing long pyrene‐fused N‐heteroacenes with 8, 13, and 18 rings were designed and synthesized. They show high electron affinities (EAs) of approximately 4.1 eV, which were derived from the onset of the reduction peaks in cyclic voltammetry. Crystal structure analysis revealed in‐plane extension through close contacts between thiadiazole units as well as layered packing, enabling in‐plane and interlayer electron transport. Organic field‐effect transistor devices provided electron mobilities, which suggest a potential way to enhance the charge transport in long N‐heteroacenes.     

Tertiary Amines Differentiated from Primary and Secondary Amines by Active Ester‐Functionalized Hexabenzoperylene in Field Effect Transistors

Herein, we report two novel derivatives of hexabenzoperylene (HBP) that are functionalized with ester groups. Methyl acetate functionalized HBP ( 1 ) in single crystals self‐assembles into a supramolecular nanosheet, which has a two‐dimensional π‐stack of HBP sandwiched between two layers of ester groups. With the same self‐assembly motif, active ester‐functionalized HBP ( 2 ) in field effect transistors has enabled differentiation of tertiary amines from primary and secondary amines, in agreement with the fact that active ester reacts with primary and secondary amines but not with tertiary amines to form amides.     

Novel Ladder π‐Conjugated Materials—Sila‐Pentathienoacenes: Synthesis,Structure, and Electronic Properties

A novel series of ladder π‐conjugated materials—sila‐pentathienoacenes ( Si‐PTA ) are synthesized and characterized. Crystal structures of the compounds show that the length of alkyl chains substituting on the thiophene ring has a significant influence on molecular packing. A densely packed structure with an interfacial distance of about 3.66 Å between the adjacent molecules is observed for the compound with shorter alkyl chains. However, a large interfacial distance (7.99 Å) is obtained for another compound because of the insertion of long alkyl chains between two planes. The investigation of the optical and electrochemical properties shows that the silylene bridge incorporated into the pentathienoacene framework exerts a clear effect on the electronic properties by the σ*–π* conjugation. Although only a slight enhancement is observed for the HOMO levels, with respect to that of pentathienoacene, the LUMO levels are significantly lowered. The observed electronic properties are consistent with the theoretical calculations.     

含杂原子的并五苯类似物合成及场效应性能研究

以N,N'-二苯基-1,4-苯二胺为原料, 合成了含硫和氮杂原子的并五苯类似物, 用可见-紫外吸收光谱和电化学测试对这类化合物进行表征, 确定了其光学带隙及轨道能级, 与并五苯相比它们具有低的最高占用分子轨道能级. 得到了三苯并二噻嗪的单晶结构, 分子具有平面结构, 分子间具有强的π…π相互作用和N…S相互作用. 首次将该类并五苯类似物应用于有机薄膜场效应晶体管中, 器件显示好的场效应特性, 迁移率为0.01 cm²·V^-1·s^-1.     

6,13‐Diethynyl‐5,7,12,14‐tetraazapentacene

A new relative of pentacene : The dialkynylated tetraazapentacene (see figure) was prepared by a two‐step synthesis from the corresponding quinone derivative. The heteroacene is an air‐stable, dark‐blue, crystalline material and is of great interest as a potential organic n‐electron‐transport material.

     

Recent Progress in Chemistry of Multiple Helicenes

The last decade has witnessed multiple helicenes arising as an interesting class of nonplanar polycyclic aromatics of inherent multihelicity. These molecules present esthetic structures and interesting properties not available to helicenes of single helicity. Herein an overview of multiple helicenes with respect to structures, stereochemical dynamics, synthesis, and applications is provided. Recently reported multiple helicenes are surveyed with an emphasis on molecular structures and stereochemistry of multiple carbohelicenes. After this survey, the synthesis of multiple helicenes through the Scholl reaction is discussed and recent applications of multiple helicenes in organic electronics are summarized. On the basis of these discussions, conclusions are reached on the current status of multiple helicenes and an outlook for this field is provided.     

A Quintuple [6]Helicene with a Corannulene Core as a C5‐Symmetric Propeller‐Shaped π‐System

The synthesis and structural analysis of a quintuple [6]helicene with a corannulene core is reported. The compound was synthesized from corannulene in three steps including a five‐fold intramolecular direct arylation. X‐ray crystallographic analysis revealed a C₅‐symmetric propeller‐shaped structure and one‐dimensional alignment in the solid state. The enantiomers of the quintuple [6]helicene were successfully separated by HPLC, and the chirality of the two fractions was identified by CD spectroscopy. A kinetic study yielded a racemization barrier of 34.2 kcal mol^?1, which is slightly lower than that of pristine [6]helicene. DFT calculations indicate a rapid bowl‐to‐bowl inversion of the corannulene moiety and a step‐by‐step chiral inversion pathway for the five [6]helicene moieties.     

含有酰亚胺结构单元的氮杂和硫杂稠五环分子的合成与性能研究

设计合成了含有酰亚胺结构单元的氮杂和硫杂稠五环共轭分子1和2, 并对它们的物理化学性质进行了研究. 实验结果显示酰亚胺基团的引入不仅使得分子具有良好的溶解性, 而且有效地降低分子的HOMO和LUMO能级. 化合物1的单晶结构显示其共轭核具有良好的平面性. 单晶中, 化合物1通过强的π-π相互作用形成二聚体, 二聚体之间存在强的氢键相互作用. 基于化合物2的薄膜场效应晶体管表现出p-型场效应晶体管行为, 其最高迁移率为2.75×10^-3 cm²·V^-1·s^-1.     

Solution‐Processable n‐Type Organic Field‐Effect Transistor (OFET) Materials Based on Carbonyl‐Bridged Bithiazole and Dioxocyclopentene‐Annelated Thiophenes

A series of electronegative π‐conjugated compounds composed of carbonyl‐bridged bithiazole and alkyl‐substituted dioxocyclopenta[b]thiophene were synthesized as a candidate for solution‐processable n‐type organic semiconductor materials and characterized on the basis of photophysical and electrochemical properties. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed that the first half‐wave reduction potentials of these compounds are between −0.97 and −1.14 V versus ferrocene/ferrocenium, which corresponds to lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels between −3.83 and −3.66 eV. Thanks to hexyl or dodecyl groups in the molecules, the compounds are sufficiently soluble to realize the fabrication of their thin films through a spin‐coating method. As a result, the prepared organic field‐effect transistors based on these newly developed compounds exhibited n‐channel characteristics not only under vacuum but also in air, and the best field‐effect electron mobility observed under vacuum was 0.011 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ with an on/off ratio of 10⁸ and a threshold voltage of 16 V.     

Ladder‐Type Heteroarene‐Based Organic Semiconductors

The fusion of heteroaromatic rings into ladder‐type heteroarenes can stabilize frontier molecular orbitals and lead to improved physicochemical properties that are beneficial for applications in various optoelectronic devices. Thus, ladder‐type heteroarenes, which feature highly planar backbones and well‐delocalized π conjugation, have recently emerged as a promising type of organic semiconductor with excellent device performance in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs). In this Focus Review, we summarize the recent advances in ladder‐type heteroarene‐based organic semiconductors, such as hole‐ and electron‐transporting molecular semiconductors, and fully ladder‐type conjugated polymers towards their applications in OPVs and OFETs. The recent use of ladder‐type small‐molecule acceptor materials has strikingly boosted the power conversion efficiency of fullerene‐free solar cells, and selected examples of the latest developments in ladder‐type fused‐ring electron acceptor materials are also elaborated.