Multi-carbazole derivatives for two-photon absorption data storage:Synthesis,optical properties and theoretical calculation

Two novel quadrupolar organic compounds, 3-(4-((E)-2-(9-butyl-9H-carbazol-6-yl) vinyl)styryl)-9-propyl-9H-carbazole (BCSPC) and 3-(3-(3-((1E)-2-(4-((E)-2-(3-(3,5-bis(9-butyl-9H-carbazol-6-yl)phenyl)-9-butyl-9H-carbazol-6-yl)vinyl)phenyl) vinyl)-9-butyl-9H-carbazol-6-yl)-5-(9-butyl-9H-carbazol-6-yl)phenyl)-9-butyl-9H-carbazole (BCPBC), with different conjugated arms, have been designed and synthesized. Their one-and two-photon absorption (TPA) and excited fluorescence properties have been experimentally inve...     

Crystal structures,optical properties and theoretical calculation of novel two-photon polymerization initiators

Three novel A–π–D–π–A type compounds 3,6-bis[2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl]-9-ethylcarbazole (1), 3,6-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethenyl]-9-ethylcarbazole (2), 3,6-bis[2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl]-9-ethylpyridylcarbazole (3) were conveniently synthesized by Pd-catalyzed Heck coupling methodology and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction determination. One-photon fluorescence, one-photon fluorescence quantum yields, one-photon fluorescence lifetime, and two-photon fluorescence have been investigated. The calculated two-photon absorption cross-sections for the three initiators by quantum chemical method are as high as 947, 943 and 815 × 10⁻⁵⁰ cm⁴ s photon⁻¹, respectively. Two-photon initiating polymerization microfabrication experiments have been carried out and the possible polymerization mechanism was also discussed. The results show that they are good two-photon absorbing chromophores and effective two-photon photopolymerization initiators.     

Synthesis, photophysical properties and TD-DFT calculation of four two-photon absorbing triphenylamine derivatives

In this study,linear absorption,single-photon excited fluorescence,fluorescence quantum yields,fluorescence lifetime and two-photon excited fluorescence of a series of triphenylamine derivatives (L1,L2,L3 and L4) have been measured.L1 and L3 are D--A type dyes,while L2 and L4 are D--D--A type dyes (D=donor,A=acceptor).The investigated compounds consist of triphenylamine-bearing donor-substituted and/or systematically extended-conjugated length,which are designed to gain insight into the effect of the ethoxyl unit and-linkage length on the linear and nonlinear optical properties.The influence of solvent polarity on the photophysical properties was investigated.Employing time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations,the structure-property relationships are discussed.     

Synthesis,structure and nonlinear optical properties of two novel two-photon absorption chromophores

Two triphenylamine-based derivatives that can be used as two-photon absorption chromophore,tris{4-[4-(3-trifluoromethyl-3-oxopanoyl)]phenyl}amine (1) and tris{4-[4-(3-phenyl-3-oxopanoyl)] phenyl} amine (2) were successfully synthesized and fully characterized by elemental analysis,IR,1H NMR and MS. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the molecules possess D-(π-A)3 structures. One-and two-photon absorption and fluorescence in various solvents were experimentally investigated. A data rec...     

Synthesis, two-photon absorption and AIE properties of multibranched thiophene-based triphenylamine derivatives with triazine core

Two new multibranched thiophene-based triarylamine derivatives with 1,3,5-triazine core are synthesized and characterized. Their one-and two-photon absorption properties and aggregation-induced emission effect have been investigated. Both the STAPA-based compounds are AIE active. The two-photon absorption (2PA) cross sections measured by the open aperture Z-scan technique are determined to be 620 and 1610 GM for STAPA-a and STAPA-b in chloroform,respectively, which dramatically increase with the introduction of alkyl chains. The relationship between their structures and properties on one-and two-photon absorption and aggregation-induced emission is discussed, which allows us to examine the effect of introducing alkyl chains. In addition, solvent effects also show a significant influence on the 2PA cross section. The two compounds with excellent AIE and 2PA properties provide attractive alternatives for the biophotonic materials.     

Reversible two-photon optical data storage in coumarin-based copolymers

A functionalized polymer film allowing for a complete and straightforward second-harmonic generation (SHG)-assisted high-contrast writing-reading-erasing-writing sequence is proposed. The whole process is supported by the reversible photoinduced dimerization of a coumarin chromophore and enables efficient optical data storage that can be detected only by SHG imaging.     

Experimental and theoretical study of two-photon absorption in nitrofuran derivatives: Promising compounds for photochemotherapy

We report experimental and theoretical studies of the two-photon absorption spectrum of two nitrofuran derivatives: nitrofurantoine, (1-(5-nitro-2-furfurilideneamine)-hidantoine) and quinifuryl, 2-(5(')-nitro-2(')-furanyl)ethenyl-4-{N-[4(')-(N,N-diethylamino)-1(')-methylbutyl]carbamoyl} quinoline. Both molecules are representative of a family of 5-nitrofuran-ethenyl-quinoline drugs that have been demonstrated to display high toxicity to various species of transformed cells in the dark. We determine the two-photon absorption cross-section for both compounds, from 560 to 880 nm, which present peak values of 64 GM for quinifuryl and 20 GM for nitrofurantoine (1 GM = 1×10(-50)cm(4).s.photon(-1)). Besides, theoretical calculations employing the linear and quadratic response functions were carried out at the density functional theory level to aid the interpretations of the experimental results. The theoretical results yielded oscillator strengths, two-photon transition probabilities, and transition energies, which are in good agreement with the experimental data. A higher number of allowed electronic transitions was identified for quinifuryl in comparison to nitrofurantoine by the theoretical calculations. Due to the planar structure of both compounds, the differences in the two-photon absorption cross-section values are a consequence of their distinct conjugation lengths.     

Synthesis, characterization and optical properties of pi-conjugated systems incorporating closo-dodecaborate clusters: new potential candidates for two-photon absorption processes

Non-centrosymmetric pi-conjugated systems incorporating closo-dodecaborate clusters, [NC-C6H4-C(H=N(H)-B12H11]-(2), [NC-C6H4-C(H)=C(H)-C(6)H(4)-C(H)=N(H)-B12H11]-(3), and [NC-C6H4-C(H)=C(H)-C6H4-C(H)=C(H)-C6H4-C(H)=N(H)-B12H11]-(4) have been synthesized by reaction of the monoamino derivative of B12, [B12H11NH3]-(1), with various arylaldehydes, R-C6H4-CHO. These Schiff base-like compounds were fully characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. In order to evaluate these boron rich pi-systems as potential materials for two-photon absorption (TPA) processes, UV linear absorption curves were recorded for 3 and 4, and comparatively studied with those of the boron-free pi-systems NC-C6H4-C(H)=N-CH3(5) and NC-C6H4-C(H)=C(H)-C6H4-C(H)=N-CH3(6). The donor effect of the boron cluster was evidenced by a shift to the lower energy of the absorption band in the spectra of systems incorporating B12. The two photon absorption (TPA) spectrum of compound , obtained by the up-conversion method, shows a resonance at 720 nm with a cross-section sigma(TPA) of 35 x 10(-50) cm(4) s photon(-1) molecule(-1). This value suggests the potential of B12 clusters to be used as new donor groups for the synthesis of non-linear materials.     

Synthesis, nonlinear optical properties and the possible mechanism of photopolymerization of two new two-photon absorption chromophores

Efficient Witting and Pd-catalyzed Heck coupling methodologies are employed to synthesize two new two-photon free-radical photopolymerization initiators 9-ethyl-3-{2-[4-(2-pyridin-4-yl-vinyl)-phenyl]-vinyl}-9H-carbazole (abbreviated to EPVPC) and 9-octadecyl-3-{2-[4-(2-pyridin-4-yl-vinyl)-phenyl]-vinyl}-9H-carbazole (abbreviated to OPVPC). The experimental results confirm that the two compounds are good two-photon absorbing chromophores and operative two-photon photopolymerization initiators. The calculated two-photon absorption cross-sections of EPVPC and OPVPC are 56.6 and 62.0×10⁻⁵⁰ cm⁴ s photon⁻¹, respectively. A microstructure by using EPVPC as initiator has been fabricated under irradiation of 200 fs, 76 MHz Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser at 780 nm. The possible mechanism of photopolymerization is discussed.     

Synthesis and two-photon absorption of highly soluble three-branched fluorenylene-vinylene derivatives

Two new three-branched fluorenylene-vinylene derivatives were synthesized by triple Heck-type or Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions. Their one-photon absorption and fluorescence as well as their two-photon absorption properties are reported. These compounds, which combine very high solubility in organic solvents, high fluorescence quantum yield and giant two-photon absorption cross-sections in the red-NIR region (up to 3660 GM, in the femtosecond regime) are promising candidates for both optical power limiting applications and two-photon laser scanning microscopy.     

Theoretical study of one- and two-photon absorption properties of pyrene derivatives

The geometrical structure, electronic structure, one-photon absorption (OPA) properties of pyrene and its derivatives have been theoretically studied by using density functional theory (DFT) method and Zerner’s intermediate neglect of differential overlap (ZINDO) methods, and their two-photon absorption (TPA) properties are calculated by the ZINDO/sum-over-states method. The results show that introducing donor groups to pyrene molecule, increasing the number of donor groups, extending the conjugated length, or forming circular conjugated dimer can increase the oscillator strength (f) in the TPA process and ultimately result in extremely large TPA cross-sections and strong OPA around 400 nm of pyrene derivatives. All these results give us some basic principles to design pyrene derivatives with large TPA cross-sections. This shed light into the significance of the pyrene derivatives as promising fluorescent probes in biochemistry when they were linked to some special recognizing groups.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of novel pyrimidine-based two-photon absorption chromophores

Three new two-photon absorption chromophores based on a pyrimidine core were synthesized by Aldol condensation in the absence of any organic solvents. Their single-photon spectroscopic characterization as well as their two-photon absorption properties is reported. In addition, strong modulation of single-photon and two-photon fluorescent spectra of these molecules by (de)protonation is also discussed.     

Synthesis, fluorescence and two-photon absorption properties of multichromophoric boron-dipyrromethene fluorophores for two-photon-excited fluorescence applications

The synthesis and the characterization of new multichromophoric boron-dipyrromethene dyes are described. Their absorption, photoluminescence as well as their two-photon absorption properties have been investigated. This work shows that assembling several dyes in conjugated multichromophoric structures is a promising strategy for improving the two-photon absorption properties of such fluorophores in the NIR region while retaining their excellent photoluminescence properties.     

Structural,optical, and charge transport properties of cyclopentadithiophene derivatives: a theoretical study

Density functional theory calculations were carried out to investigate the structural and opto-electronic properties of cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene (CPDT) derivatives. The ground state, cationic and anionic geometries of cyclopentadithiophene derivatives were optimized at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. Based on these geometries, ionic state properties such as ionization potentials, electron affinities, hole extraction potential, and electron extraction potential of cyclopentadithiophene derivatives have been calculated. The charge transfer integral, spatial overlap integral, and site energy were calculated from the matrix elements of Kohn–Sham Hamiltonian. Computed results show that the mobility of charge carriers in CPDT derivatives is strongly affected by the substitution of electron withdrawing group at bridge-head and α-positions. The excited state geometry of CPDT derivatives were optimized using configuration interaction singles method. On the basis of ground and excited states geometry, absorption and emission spectra of cyclopentadithiophene derivatives were calculated using the time-dependent density functional theory method. It has been observed that the substitution of EWG in cyclopentadithiophene core alters the absorption and emission spectra. The nonlinear optical property of CPDT derivatives have been studied through computed static polarizability and first hyperpolarizability.     

Theoretical study of one-photon and two-photon absorption properties of perylene tetracarboxylic derivatives

The geometrical structure, electronic structure, one-photon absorption (OPA) and two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of the perylene tetracarboxylic derivatives (PTCDs) were studied theoretically by using density functional theory (DFT) and Zerner's intermediate neglect of differential overlap (ZINDO) methods. The results revealed that increasing the number of naphthalene nucleus, extending the conjugated length on long axis, increasing the strength of donor group on lateral side, decreasing the DeltaE(H-L) (energy gap between the highest occupied orbital and the lowest unoccupied orbital) and keeping the conjugation effect and inductive effect along the same molecular axis are the efficient ways to enlarge TPA cross section of PTCDs compounds. The results that PTCDs compounds exhibited extremely large TPA cross section of around 800-1100 nm (near infrared region) shed light into the significance of the PTCDs compounds for applications in TPA labeling materials in vivo.     

Synthesis,absorption spectra,and luminescence properties of dihydrobenzoacridinone derivatives

9,9-Dimethyl-12-[(5-aryl-2-furyl) (or 5-aryl-2-thienyl, or 5-aryl-1-methyl-1H-pyrrolyl)]-7,8,9,10,11,12-hexahydrobenzo[a]acridin-11-ones were synthesized, and their absorption and luminescence spectrum characteristics in ethanol at room temperature and at 77 K were studied. The spectra suggest the existence of these compounds in a liquid solution as mixtures of conformers, each of which is characterized by its own absorption and fluorescence spectra.     

A new series of two-photon polymerization initiators: Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties

Four photopolymerization initiators with D-π-D (D, donor; π, conjugation system) structure have been synthesized by solvent-free reaction and characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, IR and elemental analysis. The one-photon and two-photon excited fluorescence have been investigated in different solvents. Experimental results of the one-photon and two-photon absorption cross sections show different trends in OPA and TPA ability with different substitution groups in donor units.     

Theoretical insight into linear optical and two-photon absorption properties for a series of N-arylpyrrole-based dyes

N-arylpyrrole-based dyes possessing excellent opto-electronic properties are promising candidates for two-photon fluorescence labeling materials. The systematic investigation of novel N-arylpyrrole derivatives is of great importance for both fine-tuning electronic spectra and designing two-photon absorption (2PA) materials. We thoroughly studied influences of the π-conjugated center and N-substituted pyrrole moieties on the linear optical and 2PA properties. Our results show that introducing N-arylpyrrole produces bathochromic-shifts of the absorption and emission bands and an enhancement of the 2PA cross section (δ(max)), demonstrating that the electron-rich pyrrole moieties can efficiently increase intramolecular charge transfer. Substitution of fluorenyl with benzothiadiazole produces the lower energy gap, higher emission lifetime, red-shift of 2PA spectra and larger δ(max). The absorption and emission bands are highly dependent on the nature of the active building blocks. The aromatic rings attached to pyrrole can modulate the absorption peaks in the high energy and thus subtly modify the electronic properties.     

Crystal structures,two-photon absorption and theoretical calculation of a series of bis-vinylpyridine compounds synthesized by one-step solid state reaction

Three bis-vinylpyridine compounds (4,4′-bis(2-vinylpyridine)biphenyl L1,4,4′-bis(3-vinylpyridine) biphenyl L2,and 4,4′-bis (4-vinylpyridine)biphenyl L3) were synthesized by one-step solid-state reactions at room temperature,giving nearly quantitative yields. The compounds obtained were fully characterized by IR,MS and NMR spectroscopies. The structures of L2 and L3 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. No noticeable solvatochromism was observed in either one-photon absorption or one-...     

Nonlinear optical and two-photon absorption properties of octupolar tris(bipyridyl)metal complexes

The linear (absorption and emission) and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a series of D(3) [(Fe(II), Ru(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II)] octupolar metal complexes featuring the 4,4'-bis[(dibutylamino)styryl]-2,2'-bipyridine ligand are reported. Zinc(II), nickel(II), and copper(II) complexes exhibit similar absorption spectra in the visible region (lambda(ILCT) = 474-476 nm) which are assigned to intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) bands. The quadratic and cubic NLO properties are strongly influenced by the nature of the metallic center. Harmonic light scattering studies at lambda = 1.91 microm reveal that these chromophores display large first hyperpolarizabilities beta(1.91) in the range of (211-340) x 10(-30) esu; replacing the Zn(II) metal ion by Ni(II) or Cu(II) results in a decrease of the static beta(0) coefficient by a factor of 1.5-1.6. Z-scan measurements at 765 and 965 nm reveal relatively large two-photon absorption cross-sections [650 < sigma(2) < 2200 GM], showing that both beta and sigma(2) values can be tuned by simple modification of the metal ion.