Synthesis,two‐photon absorption,and optical power limiting of new linear and hyperbranched conjugated polyynes based on bithiazole and triphenylamine

Two new linear and hyperbranched conjugated polymers P1 and P2 have been synthesized by Sonogashira coupling reaction, in which the main chain consists of bithiazole moieties as electron acceptors and triphenylamino groups as donors. The conjugated polymers were characterized by TGA, UV–vis absorption, fluorescence emission, electrochemical cyclic voltammetry, and two‐photon absorption measurements. They exhibited excellent solubility in organic solvents and high thermal stability (5% of weight loss at 299 °C). The two‐photon absorption cross sections (σ) measured by the open aperture Z‐scan technique using 140 femtosecond (fs) pulse were determined to be 1014 and 552 GM per repeating unit for P1 and P2 , respectively. This result shows that the σ of linear conjugated P1 is higher than that of hyperbranched P2 , indicating that the linear polymer offers better intramolecular charge transfer ability. In THF, P1 and P2 exhibit intense frequency up‐converted fluorescence under the excitation of 140 fs pulses at 800 nm with the peaks located at 580 and 548 nm, respectively. Meanwhile, the optical limiting behaviors for the polymers were studied by using a focused 800 nm laser beam of 140 fs duration. It was found that these polymers also exhibit good optical‐limiting properties and make them potential candidates for optical limiters in the photonic fields. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Alternating copolymers of 2,6‐bis(p‐dihexylaminostyryl)anthracene‐9,10‐diyl and N‐octylcarbazole with large two‐photon cross sections

We report the synthesis, thermal, one‐ and two‐photon properties of poly(2,6‐bis(p‐dihexylaminostyryl)anthracene‐9,10‐diyl‐alt‐N‐octylcarbazole‐3,6‐/2,7‐diyl) ( P1/P2 ). The as‐synthesized polymers exhibit number‐average molecular weights of 1.7 × 10⁴ for P1 and 2.1 × 10⁴ g/mol for P2 . They emit strong one‐ and two‐photon excitation fluorescence with the peak around 502 nm, and the fluorescence quantum yields around 0.76 in chloroform. In film state, P1 and P2 show different red‐shift emission with the peaks at 512 nm and 523 nm, respectively. The DSC measurement reveals that as‐synthesized polymers are all amorphous aggregates with the glass transition temperatures of 131 °C for P1 and 152 °C for P2 . The solution two‐photon absorption (TPA) properties of P1 and P2 in chloroform are measured by the two‐photon‐induced fluorescence method using femtosecond laser pulses (120 fs). The TPA cross sections (δ) are measured over the range of 700–900 nm. The maximal δ of P1 and P2 all appear at ～800 nm and are 1010 GM and 940 GM per repeating unit, respectively. This suggests that no notable interactions among structure units that impair their fluorescence and TPA properties, and the polymers with large δ can be obtained by using the high TPA‐active units as building blocks. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

The Synthesis and One‐ and Two‐Photon Optical Properties of Dipolar,Quadrupolar and Octupolar Donor–Acceptor Molecules Containing Dimesitylboryl Groups

Two series of related donor–acceptor conjugated dipolar, pseudo‐quadrupolar (V‐shaped) and octupolar molecular systems based on the p‐dimesitylborylphenylethynylaniline core, namely, 4‐(4‐dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)‐N,N‐dimethylaniline, 4‐[4‐(4‐dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)phenylethynyl]‐N,N‐dimethylaniline, 3,6‐bis(4‐dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)‐N‐n‐butylcarbazole and tris[4‐(4‐dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)phenyl]amine, and on the E‐p‐dimesitylborylethenylaniline motif, namely, E‐4‐dimesitylborylethenyl‐N,N‐di(4‐tolyl)aniline, 3,6‐bis(E‐dimesitylborylethenyl)‐N‐n‐butylcarbazole and tris(E‐4‐dimesitylborylethenylphenyl)amine have been synthesised by palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling and hydroboration routes, respectively. Their absorption and emission maxima, fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields have been obtained and their two‐photon absorption (TPA) spectra and TPA cross‐sections have been examined. Of these systems, the octupolar compound tris(E‐4‐dimesitylborylethenylphenyl)amine has been shown to exhibit the largest TPA cross‐section among the two series of approximately 1000 GM at 740 nm. Its TPA performance is comparable to those of other triphenylamine‐based octupoles of similar size. The combination of such large TPA cross‐sections and high emission quantum yields, up to 0.94, make these systems attractive for applications involving two‐photon excited fluorescence (TPEF).     

Synthesis and properties of conjugated polymers containing 3,9‐ and 2,9‐linked carbazole units in the main chain

Novel conjugated polymers containing 3,9‐ or 2,9‐linked carbazole units in the main chain were synthesized by the polycondensation of ethynyl‐ and iodo‐substituted 9‐arylenecarbazolylene monomers, and their optical and electrical properties were studied. Polymers with weight‐average molecular weights of 3400–12,000 were obtained in 76–99% yields by the Sonogashira coupling polycondensation in piperidine or tetrahydrofuran (THF)/piperidine at 30 °C for 48 h. All the 3,9‐linked polymers absorbed light around 300 nm. The para‐phenylene‐linked polymer also absorbed light around 350 nm, while meta‐phenylene‐linked one did not. The 3,9‐linked polymers absorbed light at a wavelength longer than the 2,9‐linked one. The polymers emitted blue fluorescence with high quantum yields (0.21–0.78) upon excitation at the absorption maxima. The polymers were oxidized around 0.6 V, and reduced around 0.5 V. Poly( 1 ) showed the dark conductivity of 3.7 × 10^?11 S/cm (10³ V/cm). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3506–3517, 2009     

Synthesis,one‐ and two‐photon properties of poly[9,10‐bis(3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyl‐oxy)phenyl)‐2,6‐anthracenevinylene‐alt‐N‐octyl‐3,6‐/2,7‐carbazolevinylene]

The synthesis, one‐ and two‐photon absorption (TPA) and emission properties of two novel 2,6‐anthracenevinylene‐based copolymers, poly[9,10‐bis(3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)‐2,6‐anthracenevinylene‐alt‐N‐octyl‐3,6‐carbazolevinyl‐ene] ( P1 ) and poly[9,10‐bis(3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)‐2,6‐anthracenevinyl‐ene‐alt‐N‐octyl‐2,7‐carbazolevinylene] ( P2 ) were reported. The as‐synthesized polymers have the number‐average molecular weights of 1.56 × 10⁴ for P1 and 1.85 × 10⁴ g mol^?1 for P2 and are readily soluble in common organic solvents. They emit strong bluish‐green one‐ and two‐photon excitation fluorescence in dilute toluene solution (? _P1 = 0.85, ? _P2 = 0.78, λ_em( P1 ) = 491 nm, λ_em( P2 ) = 483 nm). The maximal TPA cross‐sections of P1 and P2 measured by the two‐photon‐induced fluorescence method using femtosecond laser pulses in toluene are 840 and 490 GM per repeating unit, respectively, which are obviously larger than that (210 GM) of poly[9,10‐bis‐(3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyloxy) phenyl)‐2,6‐anthracenevinylene], indicating that the poly(2,6‐anthracenevinylene) derivatives with large TPA cross‐sections can be obtained by inserting electron‐donating moieties into the polymer backbone. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 463–470, 2010     

Synthesis,Photophysical Properties of Tribranched Chromophores Based on 1,3,5‐Triazine Core and Different Electro‐donating End‐groups

Three two‐photon absorption (TPA) tribranched chromophores were successfully prepared, in which 1,3,5‐triazine is been as electron deficient core, 1,4‐phenylenedivinylene as conjugated bridge, 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) ( T1 ), N‐methylpyrrole ( T2 ) or triphenylamine ( T3 ) as electron‐donating end‐groups. Their photophysical properties were studied by absorption, one‐ and two‐photon fluorescence and TPA cross‐section determination. The nonlinear transmission (NLT) measurement in femtoseconds (fs) regime at 800 nm indicates that TPA cross‐section (₂ values of T1 , T2 and T3 with extended Π‐conjugated bridge are much larger than the corresponding chromophore T4 with a short length bridge, and TPA cross‐section of T1 with end‐groups EDOT exhibits a remarkable enhancement compared with T2 and T3 having the same length Π‐system. The chromophores T1 , T2 and T3 show also remarkable up‐converted luminescence and optical limiting activity.     

Poly(1,4‐diketo‐3,6‐diphenylpyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐alt−3,6‐carbazole/2,7‐fluorene) as high‐performance two‐photon dyes

This article reports the synthesis, one‐ and two‐photon absorption, and excited fluorescence properties of poly(1,4‐diketo‐3,6‐diphenylpyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐alt‐N‐octyl‐3,6‐carbazole/2,7‐fluorene) ( PDCZ / PDFL ). PDCZ and PDFL are synthesized by the Suzuki cross‐coupling of 2,5‐dioctyl‐1,4‐diketo‐3,6‐bis(p‐bromophenylpyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole and N‐octyl‐3,6‐bis(3,3‐dimethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolan‐2‐yl)carbazole or 2,7‐bis(3,3‐dimethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolan‐2‐yl)fluorene and have number‐average molecular weights of 8.5 × 10³ and 1.14 × 10⁴ g/mol and polydispersities of 2.06 and 1.83, respectively. They are highly soluble in common organic solvents and emit strong orange one‐ and two‐photon excited fluorescence (2PEF) in THF solution and exhibit high light and heat stability. The maximal two‐photon absorption cross‐sections (δ) measured in THF solution by the 2PEF method using femtosecond laser pulses are 970 and 900 GM per repeating unit for PDCZ and PDFL , respectively. These 1,4‐diketo‐pyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐containing polymers with full aromatic structure and large δ will be promising high‐performance 2PA dyes applicable in two‐photon science and technology. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 944–951     

Concise Synthesis and Two‐Photon‐Excited Deep‐Blue Emission of 1,8‐Diazapyrenes

Efficient violet–blue‐emitting molecules are especially useful for applications in full‐color displays, solid‐state lighting, as well as in two‐photon absorption (TPA) excited frequency‐upconverted violet–blue lasing. However, the reported violet–blue‐emitting molecules generally possess small TPA cross sections. In this work, new 1,8‐diazapyrenes derivatives 3 with blue two‐photon‐excited fluorescence emission were concisely synthesized by the coupling reaction of readily available 1,4‐naphthoquinone O,O‐diacetyl dioxime ( 1 ) with internal alkynes 2 under the [{RhCl₂Cp*}₂]–Cu(OAc)₂ (Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligand) bimetallic catalytic system. Elongation of the π‐conjugated length of 1,8‐diazapyrenes 3 led to the increase of TPA cross sections without the expense of a redshift of the emission wavelength, probably due to the rigid planar structure of chromophores. It is especially noteworthy that 2,3,6,7‐tetra(4‐bromophenyl)‐1,8‐diazapyrene ( 3c ) has a larger TPA cross section than those of other molecules reported so far. These experimental results are explained in terms of the effects of extension of the π‐conjugated system, intramolecular charge transfer, and reduced detuning energy.     

Synthesis and structure‐activity relationship of several aromatic ketone‐based two‐photon initiators

Several novel aromatic ketone‐based two‐photon initiators containing triple bonds and dialkylamino groups were synthesized and the structure‐activity relationships were evaluated. Branched alkyl chains were used at the terminal donor groups to improve the solubility in the multifunctional monomers. Because of the long conjugation length and good coplanarity, the evaluated initiators showed large two‐photon cross section values, while their fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields strongly depend on the solvent polarity. All novel initiators exhibited high activity in terms of two‐photon‐induced microfabrication. This is especially true for fluorenone‐based derivatives, which displayed much broader processing windows than well‐known highly active initiators from the literature and commercially available initiators. While the new photoinitiators gave high reactivity in two‐photon‐induced photopolymerization at concentration as low as 0.1% wt, these compounds are surprisingly stable under one photon condition and nearly no photo initiation activity was found in classical photo DSC experiment. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Quadrupolar Oligothiophene‐Cored Chromophores Containing Dimesitylboryl Moieties as π‐Accepting End‐Groups: Syntheses,Structures, Fluorescence,and One‐ and Two‐Photon Absorption

Quadrupolar oligothiophene chromophores composed of four to five thiophene rings with two terminal (E)‐dimesitylborylvinyl groups ( 4 V – 5 V ), and five thiophene rings with two terminal aryldimesitylboryl groups ( 5 B ), as well as an analogue of 5 V with a central EDOT ring ( 5 VE ), have been synthesized via Pd‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions in high yields (66–89 %). Crystal structures of 4 V , 5 B , bithiophene 2 V , and five thiophene‐derived intermediates are reported. Chromophores 4 V , 5 V , 5 B and 5 VE have photoluminescence quantum yields of 0.26–0.29, which are higher than those of the shorter analogues 1 V – 3 V (0.01–0.20), and short fluorescence lifetimes (0.50–1.05 ns). Two‐photon absorption (TPA) spectra have been measured for 2 V – 5 V , 5 B and 5 VE in the range 750–920 nm. The measured TPA cross‐sections for the series 2 V – 5 V increase steadily with length up to a maximum of 1930 GM. We compare the TPA properties of 2 V – 5 V with the related compounds 5 B and 5 VE , giving insight into the structure–property relationship for this class of chromophore. DFT and TD‐DFT results, including calculated TPA spectra, complement the experimental findings and contribute to their interpretation. A comparison to other related thiophene and dimesitylboryl compounds indicates that our design strategy is promising for the synthesis of efficient dyes for two‐photon‐excited fluorescence applications.     

Synthesis,Two‐Photon Absorption and Optical Limiting Properties of Multi‐branched Styryl Derivatives Based on 1,3,5‐Triazine

Five new multi‐branched two‐photon absorption triazine chromophores ( T1 – T5 ) with different donor strength, conjugation length, and direction of charge transfer have been designed and synthesized. The one‐photon fluorescence, fluorescence quantum yields, and two‐photon properties have been investigated. The two‐photon absorption (2PA) cross sections measured by the open aperture Z‐scan technique were determined to be 447, 854, 1023, 603, and 766 GM for T1 , T2 , T3 , T4 , and T5 , respectively. This result indicates that their 2PA cross section values (σ) increase with increasing electron‐donating strength of the end group, extending the conjugation length of the system, and introducing electron‐withdrawing perfluoroalkyl as side groups to the end donor. In addition, the σ value of T5 is also larger than that of T1 , which provides evidence that the σ value is relative to the direction of charge transfer (from the ends to the center of the molecule or from the center to the ends). Moreover, significant enhancement of the two‐photon absorption cross section was achieved by introducing a thiophene moiety to a conjugated CC bond. At the same time, the optical limiting behavior for these chromophores was studied by using a focused 800 nm laser beam with pulses of 140 fs duration. It was found that these molecules also exhibit good optical limiting properties. These initial results clearly demonstrate that multi‐branched triazine chromophores are a highly suitable class of two‐photon absorbing materials.     

Synthesis and properties of conjugated polymers containing 3,9‐carbazolylene and silylenevinylene moieties in the main chain

Novel conjugated polymers containing 3,9‐carbazolylene and silylenevinylene moieties were synthesized by the hydrosilylation polymerization of 1,4‐bis(3‐ethynyl‐9‐carbazolyl)benzene ( 1 ) with various bis(hydrosilane)s or dihydrosilanes using a rhodium catalyst. Polymers with weight‐average molecular weights ranging from 5400 to 20,000 were obtained in 55–97% yields by the polyaddition with a rhodium catalyst in toluene at 25 °C for 24 h. All the polymers were soluble in CHCl₃ and THF, and had predominantly trans‐structures. The polymers exhibited λ_max at a longer wavelength region than 1 , and emitted fluorescence in 14–50% quantumn yields. The polymers were oxidized and reduced in the region of 0.4–1.6 V, and thermally stable up to 200 °C under air. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1815–1821, 2010     

Synthesis and optical properties of a poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) derivative and polyfluorenes with bipolar groups along the main chain

A poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) derivative (PPV–TPA)] and a series of statistical copolyfluorenes (PF–TPA)] containing oxadiazole and triphenylamine segments along the main chain were synthesized by the Heck reaction and nickel‐mediated coupling, respectively. The PF–TPA copolyfluorenes with relatively low contents of oxadiazole and triphenylamine units were readily soluble in common organic solvents, whereas the other copolyfluorenes displayed lower solubility. PPV–TPA showed excellent solubility in solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), dichloromethane, chloroform, and toluene. Thin films of the polymers absorbed light in the range of 375–396 nm and had optical band gaps of 2.76–2.98 eV. They emitted blue‐green light with a maximum at 414–522 nm. The fluorescence quantum yields in THF solutions were 0.08–0.53. The copolyfluorene PF–TPA thin films with high contents of oxadiazole and triphenylamine moieties emitted pure blue light that remained stable even after annealing at 150 °C for 4 h in air. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3556–3566, 2006     

One‐step synthesis of a thienylenepyridazinylenethienylene‐based coil‐rod‐coil copolymer with enhanced emission and improved fluorescence stability

A new coil‐rod‐coil copolymer is synthesized via Sonogashira coupling using one‐step methodology. The copolymer PEG‐OEPETPT‐PEG constitutes of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as the coil block, and oligo[p‐(ethynylenephenyleneethynylene)‐alt‐(thienylenepyridazinylenethienylene)] (OEPETPT) as the rod segment. The conjugated polymer PEPETPT with the same conjugated building blocks is also synthesized for comparison. The structures of both polymers are confirmed by NMR, combined with other characterizations. PEG‐OEPETPT‐PEG has a 12 nm blue‐shift in the emission maximum compared with that of PEPETPT, and a higher quantum yield of fluorescence in THF. PEG‐OEPETPTE‐PEG tolerates up to 20% water content in H₂O/THF mixed solvent without significantly changing the emission wavelength and intensity, while the fluorescence of PEPETPT is dramatically quenched by a very small quantity of water. Further photophysical studies about these two polymers indicate that the introduction of PEG coils onto the conjugated block retards the water‐induced‐aggregation and therefore improves the fluorescence stability of PEG‐OEPETPT‐PEG. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Highly Efficient,Conjugated‐Polymer‐Based Nano‐Photosensitizers for Selectively Targeted Two‐Photon Photodynamic Therapy and Imaging of Cancer Cells

Two‐photon photodynamic therapy (2P‐PDT) is a promising noninvasive treatment of cancers and other diseases with three‐dimensional selectivity and deep penetration. However, clinical applications of 2P‐PDT are limited by small two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross sections of traditional photosensitizers. The development of folate receptor targeted nano‐photosensitizers based on conjugated polymers is described. In these nano‐photosensitizers, poly{9,9‐bis[6′′‐(bromohexyl)fluorene‐2,7‐ylenevinylene]‐co‐alt‐1,4‐(2,5‐dicyanophenylene)}, which is a conjugated polymer with a large TPA cross section, acts as a two‐photon light‐harvesting material to significantly enhance the two‐photon properties of the doped photosensitizer tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) through energy transfer. These nanoparticles displayed up to 1020‐fold enhancement in two‐photon excitation emission and about 870‐fold enhancement in the two‐photon‐induced singlet oxygen generation capability of TPP. Surface‐functionalized folic acid groups make these nanoparticles highly selective in targeting and killing KB cancer cells over NIH/3T3 normal cells. The 2P‐PDT activity of these nanoparticles was significantly improved, potentially up to about 1000 times, as implied by the enhancement factors of two‐photon excitation emission and singlet oxygen generation. These nanoparticles could act as novel two‐photon nano‐photosensitizers with combined advantages of low dark cytotoxicity, targeted 2P‐PDT with high selectivity, and simultaneous two‐photon fluorescence imaging capability; these are all required for ideal two‐photon photosensitizers.     

Facile synthesis of ortho‐Phenylene‐based conjugated polymers through transformation of cross‐conjugated poly(2,3‐diaryl[2]dendralene)s and their optical properties

We studied the facile synthesis of ortho‐phenylene‐based conjugated polymers through transformation of cross‐conjugated polymers having [2]dendralene moiety, poly(2,3‐diaryl[2]dendralene)s ( P1 s), and demonstrated the sequential synthesis of (Z)‐alkene‐ and ortho‐arylene‐containing conjugated polymers from P1 s. P1 s were transformed into cyclohexa‐1,4‐diene‐containing conjugated polymers ( P2 s) through a Diels–Alder reaction. Aromatization of the cyclohexa‐1,4‐diene skeleton was achieved by using 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone to give the ortho‐phenylene‐containing conjugated polymers ( P3 s). The ultraviolet–visible and fluorescence spectra of the cross‐conjugated polymers P1 s, and the conjugated polymers P2 s and P3 s indicated that the π–π interactions between the arylene moieties in P2 s were stronger than those in P1 s and P3 s. The synthetic method for P2 s and P3 s offers an effective synthesis of various types of (Z)‐alkene‐ and ortho‐arylene‐containing conjugated polymers. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 827–832     

Emission Turn‐On and Solubility Turn‐Off in Conjugated Polymers: One‐ and Two‐Photon‐Induced Removal of Fluorescence‐Quenching Solubilizing Groups

The synthesis of highly efficient two‐photon uncaging groups and their potential use in functional conjugated polymers for post‐polymerization modification are reported. Careful structural design of the employed nitrophenethyl caging groups allows to efficiently induce bond scission by a two‐photon process through a combination of exceptionally high two‐photon absorption cross‐sections and high reaction quantum yields. Furthermore, π‐conjugated polyfluorenes are functionalized with these photocleavable side groups and it is possible to alter their emission properties and solubility behavior by simple light irradiation. Cleavage of side groups leads to a turn‐on of the fluorescence while solubility of the π‐conjugated materials is drastically reduced.

     

Linear π‐conjugated polymers containing 2,4,6‐tris(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazine unit: Synthesis and optical properties

Some linear π‐conjugated polymers containing 2,4,6‐tris(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazine unit were synthesized via Sonogashira or Suzuki reaction for the first time and characterized by IR, NMR, and GPC. Because of the introduction of 2,4,6‐tris(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazine unit into π‐conjugated system, all polymers exhibited good thermal stability with high decomposition temperature. Their optical and electrochemical properties were investigated. Based on the 2,4,6‐tris(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazine unit linked with different aromatic rings, the polymers showed the tunable fluorescence from blue to blue‐green emission with satisfied quantum yield. Cyclic voltammetry measurement indicated that the LUMO and HOMO levels of the polymers could be adjustable through the main‐chain structural modification. All polymers had low LUMO level (?2.86 to ?3.06 eV) due to the high‐electron affinity of triazine unit. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 702–712, 2008     

Synthesis and Nonlinear Optical Properties of a New A-π-A Two-Photon Compound Utilizing Dibenzothiophene as Center

A new two‐photon material, 3E,6E‐bis(2‐pyrid‐4′‐ylvinyl)dibenzothiophene (BPVDBT), has been firstly synthesized by an efficient Pd‐catalyzed Heck coupling route. The single‐ and two‐photon fluorescence, quantum yields, lifetimes, solvent effects of the chromophore were studied in detail and the compound exhibited solvent‐sensitivity. The fluorescence intensity (I_out) and input excitation intensity (I_in) can fit in well with the quadratic parabolas, which indicates that the up‐converted fluorescence was induced by the two‐photon absorption (TPA). TPA cross‐section of BPVDBT has been measured using the two‐photon‐induced fluorescence method, whose value is 14.24×10^?50 cm⁴·s·photon^?1·molecule^?1 at 750 nm. The experimental results confirm that BPVDBT is a good two‐photon absorbing chromophore with an A‐π‐A type.     

Synthesis,Photophysical, and Two‐Photon Absorption Properties of Elongated Phosphane Oxide and Sulfide Derivatives

A series of rod‐shaped and related three‐branched push–pull derivatives containing phosphane oxide or phosphane sulfide (PO or PS)—as an electron‐withdrawing group conjugated to electron‐donating groups, such as amino or ether groups, with a conjugated rod consisting of arylene–vinylene or arylene–ethynylene building blocks—were prepared. These compounds were efficiently synthesized by a Grignard reaction followed by Sonogashira coupling. Their photophysical properties including absorption, emission, time‐resolved fluorescence, and two‐photon absorption (TPA) were investigated with special attention to structure–property relationships. These fluorophores show high fluorescence quantum yields and solvent‐dependent experiments reveal that efficient intramolecular charge transfer occurs upon excitation, thereby leading to highly polar excited states, the polarity of which can be significantly enhanced by playing on the end groups and conjugated linker. Rod‐shaped and related three‐branched systems show similar fluorescence properties in agreement with excitation localization on one of the push–pull branches. By using stronger electron donors or replacing the arylene–ethynylene linkers with an arylene–vinylene one induces significant redshifts of both the low‐energy one‐photon absorption and TPA bands. Interestingly, a major enhancement in TPA responses is observed, whereas OPA intensities are only weakly affected. Similarly, phosphane oxide derivatives show similar OPA responses than the corresponding sulfides but their TPA responses are significantly larger. Finally, the electronic coupling between dipolar branches promoted by common PO or PS acceptor moieties induces either slight enhancement of the TPA responses or broadening of the TPA band in the near infrared (NIR) region. Such behavior markedly contrasts with triphenylamine‐core‐mediated coupling, which gives evidence for the different types of interactions between branches.