Density functional theory study of the structure and energetics of negatively charged oligopyrroles

First‐principles calculations are used to investigate the electronic properties of negatively charged n‐pyrrole oligomers with n = 2–18. Chains of neutral oligomers are bent, whereas the negatively charged oligomers become almost planar due to accumulation of negative charge at the end monomers. Isomers of short oligomers (n < 6) display negative electron affinity although the corresponding anions are energetically stable. For longer oligomers with n ≥ 6, the electron affinity is small and positive, slowly increasing with oligopyrrole length. Doping of 12‐pyrrole with lithium atoms shows that negative oxidation states are possible due to electron transfer from dopant to oligomer at locations close to dopant. These 12‐pyrrole regions support extra negative charge and exhibit a local structural change from benzenoid to quinoid structure in the C? C backbone conjugation. Comparison between neutral and doped polypyrrole (PPy) indicates that doped polymers displays a substantial depletion of the band gap energy and the appearance of dopant‐based bands in the gap for a 50% per monomer doping level. It is predicted that Li‐doped PPy is not metallic. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Charge transfer in and conductivity of molecularly doped thiophene‐based copolymers

The electrical conductivity of organic semiconductors can be enhanced by orders of magnitude via doping with strong molecular electron acceptors or donors. Ground‐state integer charge transfer and charge‐transfer complex formation between organic semiconductors and molecular dopants have been suggested as the microscopic mechanisms causing these profound changes in electrical materials properties. Here, we study charge‐transfer interactions between the common molecular p‐dopant 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane and a systematic series of thiophene‐based copolymers by a combination of spectroscopic techniques and electrical measurements. Subtle variations in chemical structure are seen to significantly impact the nature of the charge‐transfer species and the efficiency of the doping process, underlining the need for a more detailed understanding of the microscopic doping mechanism in organic semiconductors to reliably guide targeted chemical design. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 58–63     

Vibration and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies of FeCl3-doped poly(p-diethynylbenzene)

The doping mechanism of poly(p-diethynylbenzene), chemically doped with FeCl₃, was investigated. Absorption, infrared, far infrared, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies were used to determine the nature of the dopant in doped polymer. The experimental results suggest that the charge transfer reaction between the polymer chain and the dopant results in the formation of FeCl₄⁻ species, the π electron charge delocalization along the polymeric chain and the reduction of π-π^* transition energy.     

Surface charge transfer doping of graphene using a strong molecular dopant CN6-CP

Surface charge transfer doping of graphene plays an important role in graphene-based electronics due to its simplicity, high doping efficiency, and easy-controllability. Here, we demonstrate the effective surface charge transfer hole doping of graphene by using a strong p-type molecular dopant hexacyano-trimethylene-cyclopropane (CN6-CP). The CN6-CP exhibits a very high intrinsic work function of 6.37 eV, which facilitates remarkable electron transfer from graphene to CN6-CP as revealed by in situ photoelectron spectroscopy investigations. Consequently, hole accumulation appears in the graphene layer at the direct contact with CN6-CP. As evidenced by Hall effect measurements, the areal hole density of graphene significantly increased from 8.3 × 10¹² cm^?2 to 2.21 × 10¹³ cm^?2 upon 6 nm CN6-CP evaporation. The CN6-CP acceptor with strong p-doping effect has great implications for both graphene-based and organic electronics.     

Acceptor modulation for improving thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter in through-space charge transfer on spiroskeletons

Through-space charge transfer (TSCT) is regarded as an effective way to develop thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters. Based on this strategy, many molecular frameworks have been proposed, among which spirobased scaffolds have been extensively studied due to their unique advantages. In this work, we developed three emitters SPS, SPO, and SPON, which were constructed with the same donor and various acceptors to explore the influence of acceptor modulation at the C9 position of fluorene for spirostructure TSCT emitters. The results show that the acceptor with too weak electron-withdrawing ability will cause the emitter to not have TADF properties, while the acceptor with too much steric hindrance will weaken the face-to-face π-π stacking interaction between donor/acceptor (D/A). Since SPO balances the electron-withdrawing strength and steric hindrance of the acceptor, it achieves the highest external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 17.75%. This work shows that appropriate acceptor selection is essential for the TADF properties and high efficiency of the spirobased scaffold TSCT emitter     

Correlating conductivity and Seebeck coefficient to doping within crystalline and amorphous domains in poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxy)thiophene)

Molecular doping of conjugated polymers (CPs) plays a vital role in optimizing organic electronic and energy applications. For the case of organic thermoelectrics, it is commonly believed that doping CPs with a strong dopant could result in higher conductivity (σ) and thus better power factor (PF). Herein, by investigating thermoelectric performance of a polar side-chain bearing CP, poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxy)thiophene) (P3MEET), vapor doped with fluorinated-derivative of tetracyanoquinodimethane FnTCNQ (n = 1, 2, 4), we show that using strong dopants can in fact have detrimental effects on the thermoelectric performance of CPs. Despite possessing higher electron affinity, doping P3MEET with F4TCNQ only results in a σ (27.0 S/cm) comparable to samples doped with other two weaker dopants F2TCNQ and F1TCNQ (26.4 and 20.1 S/cm). Interestingly, F4TCNQ-doped samples display a marked reduction in the Seebeck coefficient (α) compared to F1TCNQ- and F2TCNQ-doped samples from 42 to 13 μV/K, leading to an undesirable suppression of the PF. Structural characterizations coupled with Kang-Snyder modeling of the α–σ relation show that the reduction of α in F4TCNQ-doped P3MEET samples originates from the generation of low mobility carrier within P3MEET's amorphous domain. Our results demonstrate that factors such as dopant distribution and doping efficiency within the crystalline and amorphous domains of CPs should play a crucial role in advancing rational design for organic thermoelectrics.     

Regulating Steric Hindrance of Porous Organic Polymers in Composite Solid-State Electrolytes to Induce the Formation of LiF-Rich SEI in Li-Ion Batteries

Lithium fluoride (LiF) at the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) contributes to the stable operation of polymer-based solid-state lithium metal batteries. Currently, most of the methods for constructing lithium fluoride SEI are based on the design of polar groups of fillers. However, the mechanism behind how steric hindrance of fillers impacts LiF formation remains unclear. This study synthesizes three kinds of porous polyacetal amides (PAN-X, X=NH₂, NH-CH₃, N-(CH₃)₂) with varying steric hindrances by regulating the number of methyl substitutions of nitrogen atoms on the reaction monomer, which are incorporated into polymer composite solid electrolytes, to investigate the regulation mechanism of steric hindrance on the content of lithium fluoride in SEI. The results show that bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI⁻) will compete for the charge without steric effect, while excessive steric hindrance hinders the interaction between TFSI⁻ and polar groups, reducing charge acquisition. Only when one hydrogen atom on the amino group is replaced by a methyl group, steric hindrance from the methyl group prevents TFSI⁻ from capturing charge in that direction, thereby facilitating the transfer of charge from the polar group to a separate TFSI⁻ and promoting maximum LiF formation. This work provides a novel perspective on constructing LiF-rich SEI.     

XPS法对聚乙炔化学掺杂机制的研究

用XPS(X射线光电子能谱法)研究了十余种掺杂聚乙炔的电荷转移过程, 发现对大部分掺杂剂, 由Cls谱裂分所计算的电荷转移量与掺杂剂的氧化电位直接相关. 一些强氧化性或过渡金属质子酸也符合这一规律, 同时观察到掺杂后这些氧化性质子酸本身发生价态变化. 因此这些质子酸的掺杂不是文南中所报道的质子酸机制而是氧化还原机制.所研究的若干种非氧化性或弱氧化性质子酸掺杂后电导率均较低, 这进一步表明掺杂过程中的电荷转移过程是产生高导聚乙炔的必要条件.     

Study of chiral recognition mechanism of O,O-diethyl (p-methylbenzenesulfonamindo)-aryl(alkyl)-methylphosphonates by HPLC with a series of CSPs

Five chiral stationary phases (CSPs) were used to separate the enantiomers of a series of O,O-diethyl (p-methyl-benzenesulfonamindo)- aryl(alkyl)-methylphosphonates. A chiral recognition mechanism was presented to explain the resolution of these compounds. Results show that CSP with strong π-acceptor 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl group and high steric hindrance has the best resolution ability in chiral separation of O,O-diethyi (p-methyl-benzenesulfonamindo)- aryl(alkyl)-methylphosphonates. When a CSP has just a strong π-acceptor 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl or high steric hindrance it does not have good chiral resolution ability. The chiral recognition is more difficult when the CSP has more than one asymmetric center.     

A Diels-Alder reaction catalyzed by eutectic complexes autogenously formed from solid state phenols and quinones

A Diels-Alder reaction starting from a stoichiometric solid mixture of dimethylanthracene (DMA) and p-benzoquinone (BQ) was efficiently catalyzed by adding a small amount of phenol derivatives via autogenous formation of eutectic complexes. The main mechanisms for the formation of eutectic complex with hydrogen bonds were the interposition of the charge transfer from a phenol to a quinone under the influence of steric hindrance by alkyl groups introduced into phenols.     

Rigid Coplanar Polymers for Stable n‐Type Polymer Thermoelectrics

Low n‐doping efficiency and inferior stability restrict the thermoelectric performance of n‐type conjugated polymers, making their performance lag far behind of their p‐type counterparts. Reported here are two rigid coplanar poly(p‐phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivatives, LPPV‐1 and LPPV‐2 , which show nearly torsion‐free backbones. The fused electron‐deficient rigid structures endow the derivatives with less conformational disorder and low‐lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels, down to ?4.49 eV. After doping, two polymers exhibited high n‐doping efficiency and significantly improved air stability. LPPV‐1 exhibited a high conductivity of up to 1.1 S cm^?1 and a power factor as high as 1.96 μW m^?1 K^?2. Importantly, the power factor of the doped LPPV‐1 thick film degraded only 2 % after 7 day exposure to air. This work demonstrates a new strategy for designing conjugated polymers, with planar backbones and low LUMO levels, towards high‐performance and potentially air‐stable n‐type polymer thermoelectrics.     

碘鎓盐/胺体系基态和激发态的光谱研究

研究了碘鎓盐与胺在基态和激发态的相互作用,观察到它们形成以鎓盐为电子受体和胺为电子给体的基态和激发态电荷转移络合物。测定了二苯基碘鎓盐和三乙胺形成的络合物组成为1:1分子比,其缔合常数和克分子吸收系数分别为2.2×10mol^-1和2.8×10³mol^-1·1·cm^-1。实验结果表明,随着胺的给电性增加,电荷转移络合物的吸收波长红移,胺的空间体积增大,由于空间障碍,电荷转移络合物的克分子吸收系数下降。     

XPS Studies of PtCl4 and H2PtCl6·6H20 doped polyacetylene

The PtCl₄ and H₂PtCl₆-6H₂O doped polyacetylene were studied by X-ray photoelection spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. We found that both Pt 4f and Cl 2p peaks could be resolved into two components both with a splitting of ca. 1.5 eV. The higher binding energy components of Pt 4f peak is attributed to Pt⁴⁺ and the lower binding energy one to Pt²⁺ species. From quantitative analysis of the results of decomposition of both Pt 4f and Cl 2p peaks it was found that an atomic ratio of chlorine to platinum for Pt²⁺ species is (Cl) / (Pt) = 2 and that for Pt⁴⁺ species is (Cl) / (Pt) = 6 for both PtCl₄ and H₂PtCl₆·6H₂O doped polyacetylene. The C 1s peaks could be decomposed into two components separated by ca. 1 eV. The intensity of the higher binding energy component increased with increasing dopant concentration. These indicate that the platinum salt doping proceeds through charge transfer from polyacetylene chain to platinum atom resulting in a partial reduction from Pt⁴⁺ to Pt²⁺ state. The existence of PtCl₂ cluster on the surface of the doped polyacetylene film was supported by transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction observations. These results indicate that a random distribution of the dopant along the macromolecular chain, and the charge per carbon atom in the metallic region of doped polyacetylene has been estimated to be 0.2 |e|. From these results the mechanism of the PtCl₃ and H₂PtCl₆·6H₂O doping process in polyacetylene is clarified as follows: Thus the dopant anion in polyacetylene is PtCl,^2? for both PtCl₄ and H₂PtCl₆·6H₂O doping.     

Regulation of Multiple Resonance Delayed Fluorescence via Through-Space Charge Transfer Excited State towards High-Efficiency and Stable Narrowband Electroluminescence

B- and N-embedded multiple resonance (MR) type thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters usually suffer from slow reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) process and aggregation-caused emission quenching. Here, we report the design of a sandwich structure by placing the B−N MR core between two electron-donating moieties, inducing through-space charge transfer (TSCT) states. The proper adjusting of the energy levels brings about a 10-fold higher RISC rate in comparison with the parent B−N molecule. In the meantime, a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 91 % and a good color purity were maintained. Organic light-emitting diodes based on the new MR emitter achieved a maximum external quantum efficiency of 31.7 % and small roll-offs at high brightness. High device efficiencies were also obtained for a wide range of doping concentrations of up to 20 wt % thanks to the steric shielding of the B−N core. A good operational stability with LT₉₅ of 85.2 h has also been revealed. The dual steric and electronic effects resulting from the introduction of a TSCT state offer an effective molecular design to address the critical challenges of MR-TADF emitters.     

Optically Active t-Butyl 2-(p-Tolylsulfinyl)propionate and -butyrate: Synthesis and Reactivity in Aldol-type Condensations

The syntheses of optically active t-butyl 2-(p-tolylsulfinyl)propionate and -butyrate ( 2a and 2b , respectively) are described, and it is shown that aldol-type condensation of the corresponding enolates is limited by steric hindrance. Optically active (2a) reacted, however, in high yield with aliphatic aldehydes and lead to 80% of asymmetric induction.     

Non-covalent Interactions and Charge Transfer between Propene and Neutral Yttrium-Doped and Pure Gold Clusters

The dopant and size-dependent propene adsorption on neutral gold (Au_n) and yttrium-doped gold (Au_n−1Y) clusters in the n=5–15 size range are investigated, combining mass spectrometry and gas phase reactions in a low-pressure collision cell and density functional theory calculations. The adsorption energies, extracted from the experimental data using an RRKM analysis, show a similar size dependence as the quantum chemical results and are in the range of ≈0.6–1.2 eV. Yttrium doping significantly alters the propene adsorption energies for n=5, 12 and 13. Chemical bonding and energy decomposition analysis showed that there is no covalent bond between the cluster and propene, and that charge transfer and other non-covalent interactions are dominant. The natural charges, Wiberg bond indices, and the importance of charge transfer all support an electron donation/back-donation mechanism for the adsorption. Yttrium plays a significant role not only in the propene binding energy, but also in the chemical bonding in the cluster-propene adduct. Propene preferentially binds to yttrium in small clusters (n<10), and to a gold atom at larger sizes. Besides charge transfer, relaxation also plays an important role, illustrating the non-local effect of the yttrium dopant. It is shown that the frontier molecular orbitals of the clusters determine the chemical bonding, in line with the molecular-like electronic structure of metal clusters.     

Fragmentations des Hydroxyesters a Longue Chaine: Effet Sterique Provoque par un Noyau Benzenique Intercale Entre les Deux Fonctions

The introduction of a benzene ring between the hydroxyl and carbomethoxyl groups of long chain aliphatic hydroxy esters results in a steric hindrance which restrains the interactions between the functional groups and the resulting fragmentations. The study of a series of methyl p-(hydroxyalky) benzoates shows that the importance of these interactions decreases considerably state with (9 + ?)links, or less to the benefit of those fragmentations which do not require such interactions. It is further shown that the specific transfer of a benzylic hydrogen atom to the carbomethoxyl group involves transfer via the hydroxyl group.     

Os(VIII) doping effects on the properties and crystalline perfection of potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) crystals

The effect of dopant, Os(VIII) on the growth process, crystalline perfection and properties of potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) single crystals grown by a slow evaporation solution growth technique has been investigated. The XRD analysis of black-colored doped specimen reveals slight structural changes as a result of doping. The SEM images exhibit defect centers and crystal voids. The complex formation of KHP with Os(VIII) is evidenced by the considerable shift in λ_max of the doped specimen and enhanced fluorescence intensity is observed by doping. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and TG-DTA studies reveal the purity of the sample and no decomposition is observed up to the melting point. The high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) studies used to evaluate the crystalline perfection reveal some features on the capability of accommodating the dopant in the crystalline matrix. The diffraction curve (DC) patterns indicate that the high valence transition metal predominantly occupies the interstitial positions and the doping depresses the second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency owing to the deterioration of crystalline perfection disturbing the charge transfer and nonlinearity.     

Thermal stability of para- and ortho-isomers of tris-decyl-(ethyl-benzyl)-ammonium chloride

Thermal stability of para (p--) and ortho (o-) isomers was investigated by CRTG and reaction kinetic analysis. The temperature started the mass decrease of o-isomer was about 20°C lower than that of p-isomer by CRTG. The activation energies of thermal decomposition of o- and p-isomers were 136.9 and 153.4 kJ mol^–1, respectively. The effect of steric hindrance on heat of formation was calculated by AM1 method using Win MOPAC3.0 for the model compound of p- and o-isomers. The lower stability of o-isomer was the results of the steric hindrance between the ethylene unit of aromatic ring and three alkyl chains.     

Electron Acceptor Molecule Doping Induced π–π Interaction to Promote Charge Transport Kinetics for Efficient and Stable 2D/3D Perovskite Solar Cells

Although the incorporation of 2D perovskite into 3D perovskite can greatly enhance intrinsic stability, power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2D/3D perovskite is still inferior to its 3D counterpart due to poor carrier transport kinetics resulted from the quantum and dielectric confinement of 2D component. To overcome this issue, the electron acceptor molecule 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (TCNB) was introduced to trigger intermolecular π–π interaction in 2D perovskite along with the electronic doping of 2D/3D perovskite to improve charge transfer efficiency. By virtue of high electron affinity, TCNB can undergo electron transfer reaction and subsequently establish π–π interaction with 1-naphthalenemethylammonium (NMA) cations, greatly strengthening lattice rigidity and reducing exciton binding energy. Transmission electron microscopy results demonstrate that 2D phases are mainly distributed at grain boundaries, reducing defect density and weakening nonradiative recombination. Meanwhile, the p-type doping of perovskite by TCNB optimizes energy level alignment at perovskite/hole transport layer interface. Consequently, PCE of champion device is significantly boosted to 24.01 %. The unencapsulated device retains an initial efficiency close to 94 % after exposure to ambient environment for over 1000 h. This work paves a novel path for designing new mixed-dimensional perovskite solar cells with high PCE and superior stability.