Synthesis and characterization of poly(fluorene‐co‐alt‐phenylene) containing 1,3,4‐oxadiazole dendritic pendants

A series of poly(fluorene‐co‐alt‐phenylene)s containing various generations of dendritic oxadiazole (OXD) pendent wedges were synthesized by the Suzuki polycondensation of OXD‐functionalized 1,4‐dibromophenylene with 9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐2,7‐diboronic ester. The obtained polymers possessed excellent solubility in common solvents and good thermal stability. Photophysical studies showed that the dendronized polymers appended with higher generations of OXD dendrons exhibited enhanced photoluminescence efficiencies and narrower values of the full width at half‐maximum. This was attributed to the shielding effect induced by the bulky dendritic OXD side chains, which prevented self‐quenching and suppressed the formation of aggregates/excimers. The energy transfer from the OXD dendrons to the polymer backbones was very efficient when excitation of the peripheral OXD dendrons resulted mainly in the polymer backbone emission alone. In particular, the photoluminescence emission intensities by the sensitized excitations of OXD dendrons in solid films of the polymers were all stronger than those by the direct excitations of their polymer conjugated backbones. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6765–6774, 2006     

Synthesis, Structure and Photophysical Properties of Silole-Oxadiazole Copolymers

A new conjugated copolymer (PTST‐DyOXD) derived from 1,1‐dimethyl‐3,4‐diphenyl‐2,5‐bis(5‐bromo‐2‐thienyl)‐silole (TST) and 2,5‐bis(4‐ethynylphenyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole (DyOXD) was synthesized by Pd(0)‐catalyzed Sonogashira coupling reaction. For comparison, another copolymer without acetenyl group (PTST‐OXD) was also synthesized by Pd(0)‐catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction. Chemical structures and optoelectronic properties of the copolymers were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR, UV‐vis absorption, photoluminescence and cyclic voltammetry. The number‐average molecular weight (M_n) is 4010 Da for PTST‐DyOXD and 3890 Da for PTST‐OXD, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements show that they have good thermal stability with decomposition temperature at 312 and 318°C, respectively. The optical band gap is 2.21 eV for PTST‐DyOXD and 2.10 eV for PTST‐OXD based on the absorption onset. CV analysis revealed the LUMO level of PTST‐DyOXD is ?3.04 eV, lower than that of PTST‐OXD (about ?2.89 eV), which is attributed to the introduction of acetylene group in PTST‐DyOXD, increasing the system of the conjugate chain length.     

Synthesis and characterization of a polyfluorene containing carbazole and oxadiazole dipolar pendent groups and its application to electroluminescent devices

We have synthesized a blue‐light‐emitting polyfluorene (PF) derivative ( PF‐CBZ‐OXD ) that presents bulky hole‐transporting carbazole and electron‐transporting oxadiazole pendent groups functionalized at the C‐9 positions of alternating fluorene units. The results from photoluminescence and electrochemical measurements indicate that both the side chains and the PF main chain retain their own electronic characteristics in the copolymer. An electroluminescent device incorporating this polymer as the emitting layer was turned on at 4.5 V; it exhibited a stable blue emission with a maximum external quantum efficiency of 1.1%. Moreover, we doped PF‐CBZ‐OXD and its analogue PF‐TPA‐OXD with a red‐light‐emitting iridium phosphor for use as components of phosphorescent red‐light emitters to investigate the effect of the host's HOMO energy level on the degree of charge trapping and on the electrophosphorescent efficiency. We found that spectral overlap and individual energy level matching between the host and guest were both crucial features affecting the performance of the electroluminescence devices. Atomic force microscopy measurements indicated that the dipolar nature of PF‐CBZ‐OXD , in contrast to the general nonpolarity of polydialkylfluorenes, provided a stabilizing environment that allowed homogeneous dispersion of the polar iridium triplet dopant. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2925–2937, 2007     

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) derivatives containing oxadiazole

A novel poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) PPV‐based copolymer (3C‐OXD‐PPV) with electron‐deficient oxadiazole segments as the side chain has been successfully synthesized through the Gilch polymerization. The obtained copolymer is soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform, tetrahydronfuran, and 1,1,2,2‐tetrachloroethane. The copolymer was characterized by ¹H NMR, elemental analysis and GPC. TGA measurement of the copolymer shows it has good thermal stability with decomposition temperature higher than 350 °C. The absorption, electrochemical properties of the 3C‐OXD‐PPV were investigated and also compared with the properties of MEH‐PPV. The HOMO and LUMO levels of 3C‐OXD‐PPV were estimated from the electrochemical cyclic voltammograms. Bulk‐heterojunction PVCs were fabricated by using 3C‐OXD‐PPV blended PCBM as an active layer. The PCE of the PVC is 1.60% under 100 mW cm^?2 AM 1.5 illumination, which indicates that 3C‐OXD‐PPV is a potential candidate for the application of polymer PVC. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 1003–1012, 2009     

Oxidative dehydrogenation (OXD) of C3?C4 paraffins over transition metal oxides

The main features of the OXD of propane and isobutane over the oxides of iron and copper are reported and compared with those of OXD ofn-butane over these oxides.     

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of copolymers based on benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene and thiophene with electron‐withdrawing side chains

Six alternating conjugated copolymers ( PL1 – PL6 ) of benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene (BDT) and thiophene, containing electron‐withdrawing oxadiazole (OXD), ester, or alkyl as side chains, were synthesized by Stille coupling reaction. The structures of the polymers were confirmed, and their thermal, optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties were investigated. The introduction of conjugated electron‐withdrawing OXD or formate ester side chain benefits to decrease the bandgaps of the polymers and improve the photovoltaic performance due to the low steric hindrance of BDT. Bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated based on the blend of the as‐synthesized polymers and the fullerene derivative [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM) in a 1:2 weight ratio. The maximum power conversion efficiency of 2.06% was obtained for PL5 ‐based PSC under the illumination of AM 1.5, 100 mW/cm². © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of alternating benzofuran/terfluorene copolymer with stable blue emission

The solution processable alternating benzofuran/terfluorene copolymer bearing side oxadiazole groups ( PBF‐OXD ) was synthesized and its optoelectronic properties and color stability were investigated. Electron‐deficient and stereohindered oxadiazole units were used as pendent groups to compensate for the poor electron‐transporting ability of a p‐type polymer backbone, to depress the intermolecular π‐stacking, and to improve solubility while retaining polymer blue emission. PBF‐OXD showed a glass transition at 135 °C and an onset decomposition temperature of ～345 °C. A simple EL device, with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ PBF‐OXD /Ba/Al, displayed a stable blue emission (λ_max = 434 nm), good color purity (full width half‐maximum = 59 nm), maximum brightness of 1400 cd/m², and a maximum luminance efficiency of 0.95 cd/A. The PL and EL spectra changed slightly on annealing and on increasing the applied voltage. These results show that the as‐synthesized copolymer PBF‐OXD had integrated respective functions of its different building blocks and exhibited good thermal and color stability with improved EL performance. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5488–5497, 2009     

Electroluminescent block copolymers containing oxadiazole and thiophene via ATRP

Block copolymers containing thiophene units in one block and oxadiazole (OXD) units in the other were prepared. Atom transfer radical polymerization method was used to obtain the thiophene‐containing mesogen‐jacketed polymers, and the kinetic study indicated that the polymerization was controllable and the polymers could be used to initiate the polymerization of the OXD‐containing monomers. Photoluminescent spectra indicated that the fluorescence quantum yields of the polymers increased with increasing content of OXD. And, more OXD domains, that is, more interfaces between the hole‐transport parts and electron‐transport parts, resulting in the higher probability of exciplex formation. The electroluminescent devices containing the block copolymer with 64 mol % OXD as the emissive layer had a maximum brightness of 127 cd/m² and an extremely low onset voltage of 7.7 V, which indicated that the injection and transport of charge carriers were facilitated and the number of charge carriers was sufficiently high in early time after the voltage was turned on. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis and photovoltaic performances of 2,5-dioctyloxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene and terthiophene copolymers with di(p-tolyl)phenylamine and oxadiazole side groups

Three novel conjugated polymers (P1, P2, and P3), comprised of 2,5-dioctyloxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene and terthiophene derivatives with/without di(p-tolyl)phenylamine (TPAV) and oxadiazole (OXD) side groups, have been synthesized via the Witting-Horner reaction. The effect of TPAV and OXD side groups on the optical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties has been investigated. It is found that the introduction of TPAV and OXD side groups to the backbone of P2 and P3 exhibits broader and stronger absorption than that of P1 without TPAV and OXD side groups. Photovoltaic cells have been fabricated with the as-synthesized polymers as the donors and [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the acceptor in a 1:4 weight ratio. The device based on P2 shows a maximum power conversion efficiency of 1.75% under simulated AM 1.5 G solar irradiation (100 mW/cm²).     

Morphological Stable Spirobifluorene/Oxadiazole Hybrids as Bipolar Host Materials for Efficient Green and Red Electrophosphorescence

A series of 9,9′‐spirobifluorene/oxadiazole hybrids with various linkages between two components, namely SBF‐p‐OXD ( 1 ), SBF‐m‐OXD ( 2 ), and SBF‐o‐OXD ( 3 ) are designed and synthesized through Suzuki cross‐coupling reactions. The incorporation of a rigid and bulky spirobifluorene moiety greatly improves their thermal and morphological stability, with T_d (decomposition temperature) and T_g (glass transition temperature) in the ranges of 401–480 °C and 136–210 °C, respectively. 2 and 3 with meta‐ and ortho‐linkage display higher triplet energy and blue‐shifted absorption and emission than their para‐linked analogue 1 owing to the decreasing π‐conjugation between the two components. Their HOMO and LUMO energy levels depend on the linkage modes within the range of 5.57–5.64 eV and 2.33–2.49 eV, respectively. Multilayer deep red electrophosphorescent devices with 1 , 2 , 3 as hosts were fabricated and their EL efficiencies follow the order of 3 (o)> 2 (m)> 1 (p), which correlates with their triplet energy and the separation of HOMO and LUMO distributions at molecular orbitals. The maximum external quantum efficiencies of 11.7 % for green and 9.8 % for deep red phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) are achieved by using 2 and 3 as host materials, respectively.     

Soluble electroluminescent poly(phenylene vinylene)s with balanced electron- and hole injections.

We report a new route for the design of efficient soluble electroluminescent PPV-based copolymers bearing electron-deficient oxadiazole (OXD) moieties on side chains. The introduction of OXD through a long alkylene spacer with PPV backbone provides a molecular dispersion of OXD in the film; both the side chain OXD and the main chain PPV do retain their own electron-transport and emissive properties, respectively. The use of phenylene vinylene derivatives with asymmetric and branched substituents and a long spacer provides solubility for ease of device fabrication as well as amorphous structure to allow a well-mixing of OXD groups with the main chains. By properly adjusting the OXD content through copolymerization, we can tailor the chemical structure of electroluminescent material to give a balance of hole- and electron injections for various metal cathodes, such that the quantum efficiency is significantly improved and the turn-on voltage is reduced for the devices with aluminum and calcium. For the device with calcium fabricated in open air, a maximum brightness of 15000 cd/m(2) at 15 V/100 nm and a maximum luminance efficiency of 2.27 cd/A can be obtained, respectively, about 30 times brighter and 9.4 times more efficient than those with the corresponding homopolymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV). The use of physical blends to simulate the copolymers provides no significant improvement, since phase-separation structures appear, causing an inefficient utilization of OXD and sometimes voltage-dependent emission spectra. The present route permits a fabrication of single layer PLED with high brightness, high efficiency, and low turn-on voltage.     

Phenylene vinylene‐based electroluminescent polymers with electron transport block in the main chain

We report a new route for the design of soluble phenylene vinylene (PV) based electroluminescent polymers bearing electron‐deficient oxadizole (OXD) and triazole (TZ) moieties in the main chains with the aryloxy linkage. Both series of the PV‐based polymers were prepared by Wittig reaction. By properly adjusting the OXD and/or TZ content through copolymerization, we can achieve an enhanced balance of hole‐ and electron injections, such that the device efficiency is significantly improved. Light‐emitting diodes fabricated from P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, and P7 with the configuration of Indium–Tin Oxide (ITO)/Poly (styrene sulfonic acid) doped poly (ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/polymer/Ca/Al, emit bright green light with the maximum peak around 500 nm. For the device using the optimal polymer (P4) as emitting layer, a maximum brightness of 1300 cd/m² at 20 V and a maximum luminance efficiency of 0.325 cd/A can be obtained. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3469–3478, 2006     

A Dicationic Organoplatinum(II) Complex Containing a Bridging 2,5‐Bis‐(4‐ethynylphenyl)‐[1,3,4]oxadiazole Ligand Behaves as a Phosphorescent Gelator for Organic Solvents

A dicationic platinum(II) terpyridyl complex, [(tBu₃tpy)Pt(OXD)Pt(tBu₃tpy)](PF₆)₂ (tBu₃tpy=4,4′,4“‐tri‐tert‐butyl‐2,2′:6′,2”‐terpyridyl, OXD=2,5‐bis(4‐ethynylphenyl)[1,3,4]oxadiazole) formed phosphorescent organogels in acetonitrile or in a mixture of acetonitrile and alcohol. The structure and properties of these emissive gels were analyzed by polarizing optical and confocal laser scanning microscopy, and by variable‐temperature ¹H NMR, UV/Vis, and emission spectroscopy. Dry gels were studied by scanning electron microscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). SEM images of the dry gel revealed a network of interwoven nanofibers (diameter 12–60 nm, length>5 μm). Intermolecular π–π interactions between the [(tBu₃tpy)PtC≡C] moieties could be deduced from the variable ¹H NMR spectra. The PXRD and SAXS data showed that the assembly of the gelator could be represented by a rectangular 2D lattice of 68 Å × 14 Å. The ability of the complex to gelate a number of organic solvents is most likely due to intermolecular π–π interactions between the [(tBu₃tpy)PtC≡C] moieties.     

Bipolar Heteroleptic Green Iridium Dendrimers Containing Oligocarbazole and Oxadiazole Dendrons for Bright and Efficient Nondoped Electrophosphorescent Devices

Bipolar heteroleptic green light‐emitting iridium (Ir) dendrimers G(OXD) and G(DOXD) have been designed and synthesized under mild conditions in high yields, in which the first C^N and second O^O ligands are functionalized with oligocarbazole‐ and oxadiazole‐based dendrons, respectively. To avoid affecting the optical properties of the emissive iridium core, all the functional moieties are attached to the ligands through a flexible spacer. Compared with the unipolar dendrimer G(acac ), dendrimers G(OXD) and G(DOXD) exhibit the close emission maxima of 511–512 nm and photoluminescence quantum yield of 0.39–0.40 in a solution of toluene. Moreover, on going from G(acac) to G(OXD) and G(DOXD) , we have found that the introduction of oxadiazole fragments decreases the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels to facilitate the electron injection and electron transporting, while their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels remain unchanged. This means that, we can individually tune the HOMO and LUMO energy levels based on the heteroleptic structure to ensure the relative independence between the hole and electron in the emitting layer (EML), which is a favorable feature for bipolar optoelectronic materials. As a result, a bilayer nondoped electrophosphorescent device with G(DOXD) as the EML gives a maximum luminous efficiency of 25.5 cd A⁻¹ (η_ext: 7.4 %) and a brightness of 33 880 cd m⁻². In comparison to G(acac) (17.2 cd A⁻¹, 17 680 cd m⁻²), both the efficiency and brightness are improved by about 1.5 and 2 times, respectively. These state‐of‐the‐art performances indicate the potential of these bipolar heteroleptic iridium dendrimers as solution‐processible emitting materials for nondoped device applications.     

Photochromism of dihydroindolizines. Part XVI: first attempts toward molecular wires comprising photochromic dihydro 5-azaindolizines and π-extended ethynyl and butadiynyl oxadiazole derivatives

Eight new photochromic dihydro 5-azaindolizines (DHAIs) linked with 2,5-diaryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole (OXD) derivatives containing terminal ethynes and butadiyne substituents on the fluorene part of the DHAI skeleton are synthesized via palladium-mediated coupling reaction pathways. Irradiation of the DHAI-OXD derivatives with polychromatic light affords red- and green-colored betaines.     

Kinetics,mass transfer,and thermodynamic and statistical modeling study for esterification of valeric acid with n‐butanol: Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis

The esterification of valeric acid with n‐butanol was studied with homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. The activity and performance of homogeneous p‐toluenesulfonic acid and heterogeneous cation exchange resin catalysts Amberlyst 36, Indion 190, and Amberlite IRC‐50 were evaluated. The pseudo‐homogeneous kinetic model was used to investigate the kinetic parameters of homogeneous‐ and heterogeneous‐catalyzed esterification. The UNIFAC (universal functional activity coefficient) approach was used to study the nonideality of the esterification reaction. The reaction was statistically modeled and optimized by the application of response surface methodology. The effects of independent variables such as reaction temperature, initial molar ratio, and catalyst loading on the conversion of valeric acid were investigated. The optimized conditions for the esterification reaction catalyzed by Amberlyst‐36 were found as temperature 360.4 K, initial molar ratio 3.8, and catalyst loading 6.7 wt%. The predicted conversion (89%) at these optimized conditions is in good agreement with the experimental conversion (87.3 ± 1.6%).     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(fluorene)‐based copolymers containing various 1,3,4‐oxadiazole pendants

A series of soluble alternating poly(fluorene)‐based copolymers containing electron‐transporting 1,3,4‐oxadiazole (OXD) and hole‐transporting carbazole pendants attached to the C‐9 position of fluorene units by long alkyl spacers were synthesized. These copolymers possess mesogenic and nonmesogenic pendants attached to a rigid mesogenic poly(fluorene) (PF) backbone. All these polymers exhibit glass‐forming liquid crystalline properties, including the nematic and smectic A (SmA) phases, and reveal much wider mesophasic temperature ranges than that of PF. The thermal properties and mesomorphism of these conjugated polymers are mainly affected by the nature of these pendants, and thus the mesophasic temperature ranges and glass‐forming properties are greatly enhanced by introducing the OXD pendants. In addition, the tendencies of crystallization and aggregation of PF are also suppressed by introducing the OXD pendants. A single layer device with P4 as an emitter shows a turn‐on voltage of 5 V and a bright luminescence of 2694 cd/m² at 11 V with a power efficiency of 1.28 cd/A at 100 mA/cm². © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2700–2711, 2005     

Synthesis and characterization of cross‐shaped p–n diblock oligomers

The cross‐shaped p–n diblock oligomers based on oligothiophenes (OTs) and 1,3,4‐oxadiazole (OXD) were synthesized and investigated regarding optical properties, electrochemistry, quantum chemical calculations, and intramolecular energy transfer. Since only one emission peak is observed in PL spectra of the oligomers, it is evidenced that effective energy transfer from the OXD to OTs branch. The electrochemical experiments show that almost complete spatial separation of HOMO and LUMO with the thiophene number increasing. The theoretical calculations were carried out regarding which conformer is the lowest in energy, the torsion angle between thiophene/oxadiazole and the central benzene ring, and electron densities distributions of the oligomers. Based on all data, a model for intramolecular energy‐transfer process has been put forward to explain the optical properties. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1066–1073, 2007     

Investigation of the role of 1,3,4-oxadiazole on the spectroscopic, optical, and electrochemical properties of benzimidazolophanes

The synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazole (OXD)-based dicationic cyclophanes has been achieved via an N-alkylation route, and UV-vis spectra proved the absence of charge transfer interactions. Electrochemical studies showed interference of the OXD unit on the characteristic redox properties of dicationic benzimidazolophanes.     

Unusual dinuclear and mononuclear cyclometalated iridium complexes of 2,5-diaryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives

A family of new 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole (OXD) derivatives 8-11 bearing ortho-alkyl substituents on one of the phenyl rings is reported. The reactions of these OXDs with IrCl(3) under standard cyclometalating conditions did not give the usual μ-dichloro bridged diiridium OXD complexes. Instead, the novel diiridium complexes 12-14 and the monoiridium complex 15 were isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography. It is proposed that the unusual structures arise because of the ortho-alkyl substituents leading to a substantial twisting of part of the OXD system which, for steric reasons, changes the normal course of the metal-ligand coordination reactions. Subsequent reactions of 13 and 15 gave the mononuclear complexes 16-18 with acac and picolinate anciliary ligands. The crystal structures of 16 and 18 are reported. Photoluminescence is observed in the green (16) and blue-green regions (17 and 18) at room temperature. Complexes 16-18 are phosphorescent at low temperature, with triplet lifetimes of 4.2-5.7 μs at 77 K.