Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of silole‐containing polyfluorenes with binary structures

2,5‐Bis(2‐bromofluorene‐7‐yl)silole was prepared by a modified one‐pot synthesis with a reverse addition procedure, from which novel silole‐containing polyfluorenes with binary random and alternating structures (silole contents between 4.5 and 25% and high M_w up to 509 kDa were successfully synthesized. The well‐defined repeating unit of the alternating copolymer comprises a terfluorene and a silole ring. Optoelectronic properties including UV absorption, electrochemistry, photoluminescence (PL), and electroluminescence (EL) of the copolymers were examined. The different excitation energy transfers from fluorene to silole of the copolymers in solution and in the solid state were compared. The films of the copolymers showed silole‐dominant green emissions with high absolute PL quantum yields up to 83%. EL devices of the copolymers with a configuration of ITO/PEDOT/copolymer/Ba/Al displayed exclusive silole emissions peaked at around 543 nm and the highest EL efficiency was achieved with the alternating copolymer. Using the alternating copolymer and poly(9,9‐dioctylfluorene) as the blend‐type emissive layer, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 1.99% (four times to that of the neat film) was realized, which was a high efficiency so far reported for silole‐containing polymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 756–767, 2007     

Synthesis of dithieno[2,3-b:4',3'-d]siloles and their selective bromination

The efficient synthesis of novel unsymmetrical dithienosiloles, 7,7-dimethyl-4,6-di(trimethylsilyl)-dithieno[2,3-b:4',3'-d]silole (1) and 7,7-dimethyl-2,4,6-tri(trimethylsilyl)-dithieno[2,3-b:4',3'-d]silole (2) has been developed by intramolecular silole formation with 4,4'-dibromo-2,2',5,5'-tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)-[3,3']bithienyl (3) as the starting material in the presence of t-BuLi. Upon treatment with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) under controlled conditions, dithieno[2,3-b:4',3'-d]silole was selectively brominated to produce mono-, di-, and tribrominated dithieno[2,3-b:4',3'-d]siloles in good yields. The crystal structures of the title compounds are described.     

The Combination of Cross-Hyperconjugation and σ-Conjugation in 2,5-Oligosilanyl Substituted Siloles

Reaction of a 2,5-dilithiated silole with excess dichlorodimethylsilane gives the respective 2,5-bis(chlorodimethylsilyl) substituted silole. This compound can be converted to 2,5-bis(oligosilanyl) substituted siloles by addition of a suitable oligosilanide. In the UV spectra of the thus obtained compounds the lowest energy absorptions are bathochromically shifted compared to the absorptions of the two constituents, namely the 2,5-disilyl substituted silole and a trisilane. The bathochromic shift is interpreted as being caused by a mixed σ-conjugation/cross-hyperconjugation. This assumption is supported by TD-DFT calculations, which show a significant contribution from Si−Si bonds to the HOMO of the molecule.     

Chemistry of siloles. The reactions of siloles with organolithium reagents

The chemical behaviour of siloles toward various organolithium reagents in THF has been investigated. The reaction of 1-methyl-1-(trimethylsilyl)-, 1-phenyl-1-(trimethylsilyl)- and 1,1-bis(trimethylsilyl)dibenzosilole (I, II and III) with a large excess of an alkyllithium such as methyllithium or butyllithium afforded 1,1-dialkyldibenzosiloles in quantitative yields. Treatment of I with an excess of phenyllithium gave a mixture of 1-methyl-1-phenyl- and 1,1-diphenyldibenzosilole quantitatively, while with an excess of tert-butyllithium, I afforded 1,1-dimethyl- and 1-tert-butyl-1-methyldibenzosilole in low yield. Similar treatment of I and II with 1 equiv. of methyl- or butyl-lithium yielded a mixture of the corresponding mono- and dialkyl-substituted dibenzosiloles. 1-Methyl-3,4-diphenyl-1,2,5-tris(trimehylsilyl)silole reacted with methyllithium in THF to give 1,1-dimethyl-3,4-diphenyl-2,2,5-tris(trimethylsilyl) silole. Similarly, both 2,4-diphenyl-1,1,3,5-tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)silole and 4,5-diphenyl-1,1,2,3-tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)silole with methyllithium afforded two isomers of 1-methyl-2,4-diphenyl-1,2,3,5-tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)-1-silacyclopent-3-ene in a ratio of 3 : 2 in high yields.     

Luminescent silole nanoparticles as chemoselective sensors for Cr(VI)

Colloidal suspensions of 3-aminopropylmethyl(tetraphenyl)silole nanoparticles can be used as selective chemosensors for carcinogenic chromium(VI) analyte. Methylhydrosilole is functionalized by hydrosilation of allylamine, and the colloid is prepared by the rapid addition of water to a THF solution of the silole. The method of detection is through electron-transfer quenching of the fluorescence of the silole colloid (lambda(em) = 485 nm at 360 nm excitation) by the analytes, with hundred parts per billion detection limits. Stern-Volmer plots are linear up to 10 ppm in the case of chromium, but exhibit saturation behavior near 5-10 ppm for arsenic. Dynamic light scattering experiments and AFM measurements show the particle sizes to be around 100 nm in diameter and dependent on solvent composition, with a particle size dispersity of +/-25%. The fluorescence lifetimes of the silole in solution and colloid are approximately 31 ps and approximately 4.3 ns, respectively, while the silole has a lifetime of 6 ns in the bulk solid. A minimum volume fraction of 80% water is necessary to precipitate the colloid from THF, and the luminescence continues to rise with higher water fractions. Colloids in a pH 7 phosphate-buffered suspension show both higher sensitivity and greater selectivity (100-fold) for CrO4(2-) detection than for other oxoanion interferents, NO3-, NO2-, SO4(2-), and ClO4-.     

Modulation of Aggregation‐Induced Emission and Electroluminescence of Silole Derivatives by a Covalent Bonding Pattern

The deciphering of structure–property relationships is of high importance to rational design of functional molecules and to explore their potential applications. In this work, a series of silole derivatives substituted with benzo[b]thiophene (BT) at the 2,5‐positions of the silole ring are synthesized and characterized. The experimental investigation reveals that the covalent bonding through the 2‐position of BT (2‐BT) with silole ring allows a better conjugation of the backbone than that achieved though the 5‐position of BT (5‐BT), and results in totally different emission behaviors. The silole derivatives with 5‐BT groups are weakly fluorescent in solutions, but are induced to emit intensely in aggregates, presenting excellent aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics. Those with 2‐BT groups can fluoresce more strongly in solutions, but no obvious emission enhancements are found in aggregates, suggesting they are not AIE‐active. Theoretical calculations disclose that the good conjugation lowers the rotational motions of BT groups, which enables the molecules to emit more efficiently in solutions. But the well‐conjugated planar backbone is prone to form strong intermoelcular interactions in aggregates, which decreases the emission efficiency. Non‐doped organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) are fabricated by using these siloles as emitters. AIE‐active silole derivatives show much better elecroluminescence properties than those without the AIE characterisic, demonstrating the advantage of AIE‐active emitters in OLED applications.     

An alternative convergent synthesis of dendrimers with 2,5-diarylsilole at the core

Dendrimers with 2,5-diarylsilole at the core are readily synthesized by the Ni-catalyzed reaction of 1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane and 1,6-diynes having poly(benzyl ether)-dendron units. The dendrimers display, upon excitation of the silole ring, an emission at about 500 nm. The fluorescence quantum yield of the dendrimers increases with increasing the generation of the dendron units. In addition, upon excitation of dendron units in the periphery, the dendrimers also display an emission from the silole ring at the core through the energy transfer from the dendron units to the silole core within the dendrimers.     

Highly luminescent glycocluster: silole-core carbosilane dendrimer having peripheral globotriaose

A novel glycocluster periphery functionalized by globotriaose (Galα1-4Galβ1-4Glcβ1-) possessing a silole moiety as a luminophor was synthesized. The photoluminescence spectrum of the glycocluster in pure water showed extremely strong emission at 475 nm. Analogous intense emission of the silole dendrimer was also observed in a lower water fraction of water/acetone mixture. The water fraction of the silole dendrimer solution strongly affected the emission intensity; however, these luminescences were constantly detected at around 475 nm.     

Synthesis and NMR-study of the 2,3,4,5-tetraethylsilole dianion [SiC₄Et₄]²⁻•2[Li]⁺

The previously unknown silole dianion [SiC(4)Et(4)]2??2[Li]+ (3) was prepared by the sonication of 1,1-dichloro-2,3,4,5-tetraethyl-1-silacyclopentadiene [Cl(2)SiC(4)Et(4), 2] with more than four equivalent of lithium in THF. 1H-, 13C-, and 29Si-NMR data of 3 are compared with those of the reported silole dianion [SiC(4)Ph(4)]2?. Trapping of 3 with trimethylchlorosilane gave 1,1-bis(trimethylsilyl)-2,3,4,5-tetraethyl-1-silacyclopentadiene [(Me(3)Si)(2)SiC(4)Et(4), 4] in high yield. The silole of 2 was synthesized in high yield in three steps by a modified procedure using Cp(2)ZrCl(2) via Cp(2)ZrC(4)Et(4) and 1,4-dibromo-1,2,3,4-tetraethyl-1,3-butadiene.     

Fabrication of Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles Hybridized with AIE Luminogens and Exploration of Their Applications as Nanobiosensors in Intracellular Imaging

Highly emissive inorganic–organic nanoparticles with core–shell structures are fabricated by a one‐pot, surfactant‐free hybridization process. The surfactant‐free sol–gel reactions of tetraphenylethene‐ (TPE) and silole‐functionalized siloxanes followed by reactions with tetraethoxysilane afford fluorescent silica nanoparticles FSNP‐ 1 and FSNP‐ 2 , respectively. The FSNPs are uniformly sized, surface‐charged and colloidally stable. The diameters of the FSNPs are tunable in the range of 45–295 nm by changing the reaction conditions. Whereas their TPE and silole precursors are non‐emissive, the FSNPs strongly emit in the visible vision, as a result of the novel aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics of the TPE and silole aggregates in the hybrid nanoparticles. The FSNPs pose no toxicity to living cells and can be utilized to selectively image cytoplasm of HeLa cells.     

Synthesis of fluoro‐substituted silole‐containing conjugated materials

2,5‐Dihydroxyboryl‐1,1‐dimethyl‐3,4‐bis(3‐fluorophenyl)‐silole ( 2a ) was prepared in 40% overall yield by reaction between 3‐fluorophenyl‐acetylene and dichlorodimethylsilane to yield bis[2(3‐fluorophenyl)ethynyl]dimethylsilane ( 1a ), which subsequently undergoes a reductive cyclization reaction using an excess of lithium naphthalenide. The fluoro substituted silole was applied as a co‐monomer in the Suzuki polycondensation reaction with 2,7‐dibromo‐9,9‐dioctyl‐fluorene. An oligomer ( 3a ) with a degree of polymerization of 6 was prepared and compared with an oligomer without fluoro substitution on the silole ( 3b ), with a degree of polymerization of 4. The new oligomers were spin coated onto glass slides and showed weak green photoluminescence (PL) in the solid state. Cyclic voltammetry, visible absorption spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations showed that the fluoro substituents were sufficiently electron withdrawing to lower both the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital in the oligomer. Two further alternating co‐oligomers were prepared from 2,5‐dihydroxyboryl‐1,1‐dimethyl‐3,4‐bis(phenyl)‐silole ( 2b ) and 1,3‐dibromo‐5‐fluoro‐benzene ( 4a ) or 1,3‐dibromobenzene ( 4b ). These oligomers both had degrees of polymerization of 8 and showed green PL in the solid state. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5116–5125, 2009     

Synthesis, structure, aggregation-induced emission, self-assembly, and electron mobility of 2,5-bis(triphenylsilylethynyl)-3,4-diphenylsiloles

2,5-Bis(triphenylsilylethynyl)-3,4-diphenylsiloles with different 1,1-substituents [XYSi(CPh)(2) (C-C≡C-SiPh(3))(2)] (Ph=phenyl) were synthesized in high yields by the Sonogashira coupling of 2,5-dibromo-3,4-diphenylsiloles with triphenylsilylacetylene, and two of these were characterized crystallographically. Crystal structures and theoretical calculations showed that the new silole molecules had higher conjugation than 2,5-diarylsiloles. They possessed low HOMO and LUMO energy levels due to the electron-withdrawing effect of the triphenylsilylethynyl groups. Cyclic voltammetry analysis revealed low electron affinities, which were comparable to those of perfluoroarylsiloles. B3LYP/6-31* calculations demonstrated that the new siloles possessed large reorganization energies for electron and hole transfers and high electron mobilities. A mobility of up to 1.2×10(-5) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) was obtained by the transient electroluminescence method, which was about fivefold higher than that of tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum, a widely used electron-transport material, under the same conditions. All of the silole molecules possessed high thermal stability. Although, their solutions were weakly emissive, their nanoparticle suspensions and thin films emitted intense blue-green light upon photoexcitation, demonstrating a novel feature of aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Polarized emissions were observed in the silole crystals. The addition of solvents, which did not dissolve the silole molecules, into silole-containing solutions caused self-assembly of the molecules, which produced macroscopic fibrils with strong light emissions.     

Structure and chemistry of 1-silafluorenyl dianion, its derivatives, and an organosilicon diradical dianion.

1-Silafluorene dianion was synthesized by potassium reduction of 1,1-dichloro-1-silafluorene in refluxing THF. The X-ray structure of 1,1-dipotassio-1-silafluorene (3b) shows C-C bond length equalization in the five-membered silole ring and C-C bond length alternation in the six-membered benzene rings, indicating aromatic delocalization of electrons in the silole ring. The downfield (29)Si chemical shift at 29.0 ppm and theoretical calculations also support electron delocalization in the silole ring of 3b. Dianion salt 3b underwent nucleophilic reactions with Me(3)SiCl and EtBr to form the corresponding disubstituted products. Benzaldehyde underwent reductive coupling in the presence of 3b. Slow oxidation of 3b yielded 1,1'-dipotassio-1,1'-bis(silafluorene) (16). The X-ray structure and (29)Si chemical shift (-38.0 ppm) of 16 indicate localized negative charges at the silicon atoms and no aromatic character. Heating a DME/hexane solution of 3b in the presence of 18-crown-6 led to a novel diradical dianion salt.     

硅杂环戊二烯的合成及应用研究进展

硅杂环戊二烯是一种含硅的五元环,是环戊二烯的类似物,由于其具有特殊的电子结构,在许多方面有广泛的应用.综述了硅杂环戊二烯化合物的合成方法,作为光电材料、化学传感器及生物传感器等方面的应用研究进展.最后,对硅杂环戊二烯的研究方向提出了展望.     

Observation of negative charge trapping and investigation of its physicochemical origin in newly synthesized poly(tetraphenyl)silole siloxane thin films

A new kind of organic-inorganic hybrid polymer, poly(tetraphenyl)silole siloxane, was invented and synthesized for realization of its unique charge trap properties. The organic portions consisting of (tetraphenyl)silole rings were responsible for negative charge trapping, while the Si-O-Si inorganic linkages provided the intrachain energy barrier for controlling electron transport. The polysilole siloxane dielectric thin films were fabricated by spin-coating and curing of the polymers, followed by characterization with spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS), and photoemission spectroscopy (PES). The abrupt increase in density and decrease in thickness of the thin film at a curing temperature of 100 °C was attributed to a thermodynamically preferred state in the nanoscopic arrangement of the polymer chains; this was due to cofacial π-π interactions in a skewed manner between peripheral phenyl groups of the (tetraphenyl)silole rings of the adjacent polymer chains. Using the NEXAFS spectrum to assess high electron affinity, the LUMO energy level of the dielectric thin film cured at 150 °C was positioned 1 eV above the Fermi energy level (E(F)). The electron trapping of the dielectric thin films was confirmed from the positive flat band shift (ΔV(FB)) in the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements performed within the metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) device structure, which strongly verified the polymer design concept. From the simple kinetics model of the electron transport, it was proposed that the flat band shift (ΔV(FB)) or trap density of the negative charges (|ρ|) was logarithmically proportional to the decay constant (β) for the electron-tunneling process. When a phenyl group of a silole ring in a polymer chain was inserted into the two available phenyl groups of another silole ring in another polymer chain, the electron transfer between the groups was enhanced, decreasing the trap density of the negative charges (|ρ|). For the thermodynamically preferred state generating the high refractive index, the distance between the two phenyl groups of the adjacent polymer chains was estimated to be in the range of 0.27-0.36 nm.     

Theoretical study of substituent effect on the charge mobility of 2,5-bis(trialkylsilylethynyl)-1,1,3,4-tetraphenylsiloles

The theoretical calculation of the charge mobility of 2,5-bis(trialkylsilylethynyl)-1,1,3,4-tetraphenylsiloles is presented. B3LYP/6-31* calculations demonstrated that these silole molecules possessed large coupling matrix elements and reorganization energies for electron and hole transfers and high electron mobilities. The bulkiness of the trialkyl substituents influenced the charge mobility of the silole molecules, with the smaller trimethyl group imparting higher charge mobility than triethyl and triisopropyl substituents.     

Solvent fuming dual-responsive switching of both wettability and solid-state luminescence in silole film

A multiresponsive switcher on both wettability and solid-state luminescence has great application potentials in novel smart devices. In this paper, a silole molecule of 1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole (HPS) was chosen to prepare thin films by spin-coating, and a solvent fuming dual-responsive switcher combining photoluminescent behavior and wettability was successfully achieved by changing the mode of solid-state molecular packing. This study suggests that HPS and other silole derivatives have a promising future for use in dual- and multifunctional switches in new technological applications.     

Synthesis of functionalized siloles from Si-tethered diynes

A new synthetic itinerary to silole from Si-tethered diynes is reported. In this protocol, the Si-tethered diyne manifests definitely the reactivity of monoyne to form the lithio silole via zirconacyclopetadiene, 1,4-diiodo-1,3-butadiene, and the corresponding dilithiodiene successively. Lithio siloles thus obtained above could be easily functionalized to give various types of silole derivatives. Complex structure like bridged bis-silole compounds could also be constructed by this process.     

Structural control of the photoluminescence of silole regioisomers and their utility as sensitive regiodiscriminating chemosensors and efficient electroluminescent materials

We synthesized a group of silole regioisomers 1(x,y), whose photoluminescence varied dramatically with its regiostructure. By internally hindering the intramolecular rotation, we succeeded in creating a novel silole (1(3,4)) that is strongly luminescent in solutions and whose fluorescence quantum yield in acetone is as high as 83%. We revealed that 1(3,4) was a sensitive chemosensor capable of optically discriminating nitroaromatic regioisomers of p-, o-, and m-nitroanilines. Against general belief, crystal formation of 1(2,4) blue-shifted its emission color and boosted its emission efficiency. The light-emitting diode based on the crystal of 1(2,4) emitted a strong blue light (464 nm) in a high current efficiency (5.86 cd/A).     

The crystal structure of tetracarbonyl[η4-(1,1,3,4-tetramethylsilole)]chromium

An X-ray diffraction study has shown that tetracarbonyl[η⁴-(1,1,3,4-tetramethyl- silole)]chromium has a conjugated 1,3-diene bonded to a distorted piano stool Cr(CO)₄ fragment. The intra-ring CC bond lengths (139.2, 145.8 and 139.0 pm) indicate predominant diene-to-metal donor bonding. The bending angle of the silole ligand is 37.7°, and the Cr(CO)₂ trans angles are 105.87 and 149.12°.