Syntheses of Special Monomers for π-Conjugated Polymers

Summary: Tailored monomers based on the activated esters of 2,5-dibromo-benzoic and 2,5-dibromobenzene-1-sulfonic acids or 3-substituted 2,5-dibromothiophene suitable for the Suzuki, Yamamoto or Grignard metathesis (GRIM) coupling reactions were synthesized and characterized by the melting point, elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, FT IR, and TLC. The Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction was utilized for the preparation of 3-(arylvinyl)-2,5-dibromothiophenes and the 4-nitrophenol or N-hydroxysuccinimide for the preparation of activated esters. A monomer with β-diketone active structure was prepared and characterized as well.     

Supramolecular Ladder Assemblies as a Model for Probing Electronic Interactions between Multiple Stacked π-Conjugated Systems

A series of mono-, di-, and tri-topic receptors in which H-bonding sites, complementary to those of barbituric acid (BA), are fused is used to induce the supramolecular assembly of n×m ladders containing 1, 2, or 3 triphenylenevinylene units appended with BA. The topological constraint enforced by the architectures induces through-space interactions between the electroactive moieties that are reflected in the electronic absorption and emission spectrum. The n=2, m=2 or m=3 architectures undergo two single electron oxidation events, indicative of the formation of the corresponding mono- and di-radical cation species with comproportionation constants of 340 and 70, respectively. Comparison of the electrochemical potentials suggests that the charges are delocalized over the electroactive units in the assembly.     

Clar Rules the Electronic Properties of 2D π-Conjugated Frameworks: Mind the Gap

The key electronic properties of a family of 2D frameworks structurally convergent with holey graphenes were studied. The bandgap of these materials decreases monotonically with size, showing a common trend with anthracenes and kekulenes. This was rationalized by Clar's sextet rule, which reveals a direct relationship between the molecular systems and the 2D frameworks. In addition, a detailed benchmark against experimental data showcased the high quality of the models, which reproduce accurately available electronic properties. Overall, it was shown that DFT can be used to screen and understand the intrinsic bandgaps and electrochemistry potentials for technological applications prior to the synthesis of π-conjugated porous materials.     

Volume-conserved Twist Excited-state of π-Conjugated Molecules

The excited state characters of HY103 have been studied by means of time-resolved photon emission (time-correlated single photon counting) and time dependent density functional theory calculations. The experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that HY103 dyes undergo an efficient one-bond-flip motion after photoexicitation at room temperature, which leads to a very short lifetime of the normal fluorescence state, and a weak fluorescence emission around 670 nm. However, when HY103 are excited in amorphous glasses at 77 K, the normal fluorescence emission is prolonged to nanoseconds time scale about 2 ns, and the fluorescence emission is enhanced. Furthermore, a new emission state is produced, which is characterized as a volume-conserved twisted (VCT) state. This is the first observation of a VCT state. The experiment indicates that the VCT motion of excited state of ?-conjugated molecules in restricted environment can form a stable emission state, and the excited state character of ?-conjugated molecules in restricted environment is complex.     

Novel Pyrimidines with Extended π-Conjugated Chains

Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry - The reactions of benzamidine, 4-methyl-, 4-iso-butoxy-, and 4-butoxybenzamidine hydrochlorides with chalcone and substituted chalcones in alcohol in the...     

A π-Conjugated,Covalent Phosphinine Framework

Structural modularity of polymer frameworks is a key advantage of covalent organic polymers, however, only C, N, O, Si, and S have found their way into their building blocks so far. Here, the toolbox available to polymer and materials chemists is expanded by one additional nonmetal, phosphorus. Starting with a building block that contains a λ⁵-phosphinine (C₅P) moiety, a number of polymerization protocols are evaluated, finally obtaining a π-conjugated, covalent phosphinine-based framework (CPF-1) through Suzuki–Miyaura coupling. CPF-1 is a weakly porous polymer glass (72.4 m² g⁻¹ BET at 77 K) with green fluorescence (λ_max=546 nm) and extremely high thermal stability. The polymer catalyzes hydrogen evolution from water under UV and visible light irradiation without the need for additional co-catalyst at a rate of 33.3 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹. These results demonstrate for the first time the incorporation of the phosphinine motif into a complex polymer framework. Phosphinine-based frameworks show promising electronic and optical properties, which might spark future interest in their applications in light-emitting devices and heterogeneous catalysis.     

Fusion of Aza- and Oxadiborepins with Furans in a Reversible Ring-Opening Process Furnishes Versatile Building Blocks for Extended π-Conjugated Materials

A modular synthesis of both difurooxa- and difuroazadiborepins from a common precursor is demonstrated. Starting from 2,2′-bifuran, after protection of the positions 5 and 5’ with bulky silyl groups, formation of the novel polycycles proceeds through opening of the furan rings to a dialkyne and subsequent re-cyclization in the borylation step. The resulting bifuran-fused diborepins show pronounced stability, highly planar tricyclic structures, and intense blue light emission. Deprotection and transformation into dibrominated building blocks that can be incorporated into π-extended materials can be performed in one step. Detailed DFT calculations provide information about the aromaticity of the constituent rings of this polycycle.     

Dismantling the Hyperconjugation of π-Conjugated Phosphorus Heterocycles

The development of π-extended phosphorus heterocycles has been rapidly increasing because of their unique optoelectronics properties, which are very often considered to be a consequence of special hyperconjugative interactions. However, the latter interactions have primarily been investigated within the five-membered species, phospholes, and they are often conceptually extrapolated to the rest of π-extended phosphorus heterocycles (including six-membered P-heterocycles) despite evident structural differences. Herein, we report, for the first time, a detailed investigation that sheds light on the hyperconjugative effects of a series of phosphorus heterocyclic systems by means of EDA and NBO calculations within a DFT framework. Our results lay the foundations for the future design of π-extended phosphorus heterocycles with improved optoelectronics properties.     

Acid-Modulated Synthesis of Novel π-Conjugated Microporous Polymers for Efficient Metal-Free Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Simple synthetic modifications that tune the molecular structures, thereby the properties of the molecules, are of topical interest. Herein, we report the synthesis of two novel cationic rosaniline-based conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) from identical monomers via simple acid modulation (Acetic acid and BF₃ ⋅ Et₂O). The condensation reaction of rosaniline with 2,4,6-triformylphloroglucinol in acetic acid renders β-ketoenamine-linked CMP ( CMP-A ) while changing the acid to BF₃ ⋅ Et₂O, the linkages transform to enol and undergoes BF₂-complexation, leading to boranil CMP ( CMP-B ). BF₂-functionalities in boranil CMP significantly modified the optical and functional properties compared to β-ketoenamine-linked CMP. The cationic-delocalization along with the extended π-delocalization supported by chromophoric BF₂-groups allow CMP-B to exhibit broad absorption spanning the visible to Near-Infrared region (NIR). The absorption red-edge of CMP-B appears around 1277 nm (optical band gap ∼1.58 eV) while CMP-A displays at 981 nm (optical band gap ∼1.83 eV). Most interestingly, as a photocatalyst, CMP-B catalyzes hydrogen evolution with a superior rate of 252 μmol g⁻¹ over CMP-A (100 μmol g⁻¹). It is about 2.5 times higher performance. The transient photocurrent measurements, electrochemical impedance data, and in-depth mott-Schottky analysis demonstrate that the BF₂-group in CMP-B generates photoinduced charge carriers and their migration towards the active sites for photocatalysis. These polymers show significant photocatalytic H₂ generation without any supportive metal co-catalyst. The BF₂ complexed building blocks are a unique class of metal-free photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution through green and cost-effective approach.     

Gas-Phase Ion Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Tailor-made Rhodamine Homo- and Heterodyads: Quenching of Electronic Communication by π-Conjugated Linkers

While many key photophysical features are understood for electronic communication between chromophores in neutral compounds, there is limited information on the effect of charges in practically relevant ionic chromo/fluorophores. Here we have chosen positively charged rhodamines and prepared a selection of homo- and heterodimers with alkyl or π-conjugated, acetylenic bridges. Protonated molecules were transferred as isolated ions to gas phase where there is no solvent screening of charges, and fluorescence spectra were measured with a custom-made ion-trap setup. Our work reveals strong polarization of the π-spacer (induced dipole/quadrupole) when it experiences the electric field from one/ two dyes. Hence, π-spacers provide efficient shielding of charges by reducing the Coulomb interaction, whereas two dye cations polarize each other when connected by an alkyl. The screening influences the Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency that relies on the dipole–dipole interaction.     

Covalent Organic Frameworks with trans-Dimensionally Vinylene-linked π-Conjugated Motifs

Vinylene-linked covalent organic frameworks(COFs) are a class of promising porous organic materials that feature fully π-conjugated structures, high crystallinity, permanent porosity, ultrahigh chemical stability, and extraordinary optoelectronic properties. Over the past 5 years, this kind of material has been witnessed rapid development either in chemical synthesis or in potential applications. In this review, we summarize the chemistry to synthesize vinylene-linked COFs, especially the synthetic strategies involving activation of aryl methyl groups for condensation reaction. We then scrutinize the state-of-the-art development in properties and functions of this kind of COFs. Our own opinions on the further development of the vinylene-linked COFs are also presented for discussion.     

Molecular electrostatic potential for exploring π-conjugation: a density-functional investigation

Molecular electrostatic potentials (MESP) of the most common building blocks of organic π-conjugated systems, viz. ethylene, acetylene, benzene, furan, pyrrole, thiophene and phenylvinylene, are examined at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) level. The topography of MESP is employed for mapping the strength of electronic conjugation between these building blocks. When electron-rich molecular regions are connected to each other, the MESP value of the corresponding conjugation critical point (CCP) is able to provide a quantitative measure of the strength of the conjugation. The systems with stronger conjugation are generally seen to possess a larger negative value of CCP and a smaller difference (ΔV(CM-CCP)) between the MESP values of respective conjugated minimum (CM) and the CCP, in agreement with the experimental as well as other theoretical results. The present MESP topography-based approach thus offers a measure of the quantitative strength of π-conjugation in molecules.     

Molecular-Orbital Delocalization Enhances Charge Transfer in π-Conjugated Organic Semiconductors

π-Conjugated organic semiconductors are promising materials for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active substrates based on the tunability of electronic structures and molecular orbitals. Herein, we investigate the effect of the temperature-mediated resonance-structure transitions of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) films on the interactions between substrate and probe molecules, thereby affecting the SERS activity. Absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations show that this effect occurs mainly due to delocalization of the electron distribution in molecular orbitals, effectively promoting the charge transfer between the semiconductor and probe molecules. In this work, we investigate for the first time the effect of electron delocalization in molecular orbitals on SERS activity, which will provide new design ideas for the development of highly sensitive SERS substrates.     

Influence of the Thiophene Ring on the Molecular Order of Structurally Simple π-Conjugated Smectogens: 13C NMR Study

Structurally simple rod-like π-conjugated mesogens with thiophene directly connected to phenyl, biphenyl, and fluorenone rings with terminal chains are synthesized respectively. The occurrence of smectic A/smectic C phases is concurred by a hot-stage optical polarising microscope (HOPM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The static 1D and 2D ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies in the liquid crystalline phase are carried out to find the alignment-induced chemical shifts (AIS) and ¹³C−¹H dipolar couplings. The orientational order parameters of the mesogens determined from ¹³C−¹H dipolar couplings disclose that the long axis is not only collinear to the C3−C4 bond of the thiophene ring but also for the local axes of phenyl and biphenyl rings. For fluorenone-based mesogen, the molecular biaxiality is found to be high owing to the increased breadth of the molecule. The study unveils that the orientation of thiophene and the phenyl rings is similar in the current mesogens in stark contrast to mesogens, where thiophene is connected to phenyl rings through linking groups.     

Pathway Control of π-Conjugated Supramolecular Polymers by Incorporating Donor-Acceptor Functionality

Controlling the nanoscale orientation of π-conjugated systems remains challenging due to the complexity of multiple energy landscapes involved in the supramolecular assembly process. In this study, we have developed an effective strategy for programming the pathways of π-conjugated supramolecular polymers, by incorporating both electron-rich methoxy- or methanthiol-benzene as donor unit and electron-poor cyano-vinylenes as acceptor units on the monomeric structure. It leads to the formation of parallel-stacked supramolecular polymers as the metastable species through homomeric donor/acceptor packing, which convert to slip-stacked supramolecular polymers as the thermodynamically stable species facilitated by heteromeric donor-acceptor packing. By further investigating the external seed-induced kinetic-to-thermodynamic transformation behaviors, our findings suggest that the donor-acceptor functionality on the seed structure is crucial for accelerating pathway conversion. This is achieved by eliminating the initial lag phase in the supramolecular polymerization process. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into designing molecular structures that control aggregation pathways of π-conjugated nanostructures.     

Dynamic Resolution of Piezosensitivity in Single Crystals of π-Conjugated Molecules

Targeted synthesis of piezoresponsive small molecules and in-depth understanding of their mechanism is of utmost importance for the development of smart devices. This work reports the synthesis, structure and piezosensitivity of a bola-amphiphile 1,4-bis(pentyloxy)-2,5-bis(2-pyridineethynyl)-benzene ( C5-PPB ). Depending on the rate of compression, two different phases in C5-PPB can be generated. The ambient-pressure α-phase is stable up to 0.8 GPa, beyond which it undergoes an isostructural transformation to β-phase, accompanied by a clearly visible elongation of the crystal. This α-to-β phase transition requires the sample to be compressed slowly. When quickly compressed, phase α persists to about 1.5 GPa, beyond which its amorphization starts, accompanied by the appearance of irregular grooves on the largest faces. Mechanical pressure also affects the optical property of C5-PPB , which shows reversible mechanochromism with a green to cyan transformation in the emission, associated with a 15 nm shift in the maxima. The conductivity of C5-PPB as a direct outcome of its crystal packing has also been studied.     

Benzidine/Quinoidal-Benzidine-Linked,Superbenzene-Based π-Conjugated Chiral Macrocycles and Cyclophanes

Synthesis of fully conjugated cyclophanes containing large-size polycyclic aromatics is challenging. Now, three benzidine-linked, hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (superbenzene)-based ortho-, para-, and meta-cyclophanes are synthesized through intermolecular Yamamoto coupling reaction of structurally pre-organized precursors. Subsequent oxidative dehydrogenation gave the corresponding quinoidal benzidine-linked cyclophanes. Their geometries were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis and their electronic properties were investigated by electronic absorption, cyclic voltammetry, and DFT calculations. The quinoidal benzidine-linked cyclophanes show thermally populated paramagnetic activity with a relatively large singlet-triplet energy gap. Two enantiomers for the ortho-cyclophanes ( 1-NH and 1-N ) were isolated and their chiral figure-of-eight macrocyclic structures were identified. The cage-like cyclophanes 2-NH and 3-NH with concave surface can selectively encapsulate fullerene C₇₀.