Bridging photochemistry and photomechanics with NMR crystallography: the molecular basis for the macroscopic expansion of an anthracene ester nanorod

Crystals composed of photoreactive molecules represent a new class of photomechanical materials with the potential to generate large forces on fast timescales. An example is the photodimerization of 9-tert-butyl-anthracene ester (9TBAE) in molecular crystal nanorods that leads to an average elongation of 8%. Previous work showed that this expansion results from the formation of a metastable crystalline product. In this article, it is shown how a novel combination of ensemble oriented-crystal solid-state NMR, X-ray diffraction, and first principles computational modeling can be used to establish the absolute unit cell orientations relative to the shape change, revealing the atomic-resolution mechanism for the photomechanical response and enabling the construction of a model that predicts an elongation of 7.4%, in good agreement with the experimental value. According to this model, the nanorod expansion does not result from an overall change in the volume of the unit cell, but rather from an anisotropic rearrangement of the molecular contents. The ability to understand quantitatively how molecular-level photochemistry generates mechanical displacements allows us to predict that the expansion could be tuned from +9% to −9.5% by controlling the initial orientation of the unit cell with respect to the nanorod axis. This application of NMR-assisted crystallography provides a new tool capable of tying the atomic-level structural rearrangement of the reacting molecular species to the mechanical response of a nanostructured sample.

NMR crystallography establishes absolute unit-cell orientations relative to the shape change, revealing the atomic-resolution mechanism for the nanorod''s photomechanical response.     

Functionality and structure of polymers. II. Photodimerization of polymer-bound anthryl groups and thermal dissociation of the photodimers

Anthryl groups bound to various polyesters and polyesterurethanes as side groups were photodimerized in solid state in a nitrogen atmosphere. The rate of photodimerization is strongly affected by polymer structure as observed in the photodimerization of dilute solutions. The results revealed the importance of segment mobility rather than local concentration of anthryl groups. Temperature effects on the rate of photodimerization indicated that the rate jumped above the glass transition temperature (T_g). A definite difference in photodimerization behavior was apparent between polyesters and polyesterurethanes. Anthryl groups in polyesters were to some extent photodimerized at T_g, whereas polyesterurethanes did not react at all. Hydrogen bonding in polyesterurethanes restricted the movement of anthryl groups and consequently additional energy was required to liberate them and allow photodimerization to proceed. The anthryl groups can be recovered from the photodimerized polymers by heating to 80–100°C. The activation energy of thermal dissociation of the photodimer depends to a great extent on polymer structure. These results were interpreted as being due to the strain brought about by photodimer formation exhibited this dependence. The photodimerization–thermal dissociation cycle was reversible (reversibility: 95–100% under nitrogen). A novel principle of reversible photomemory, based on dry unit processes that consisted of image recording above T_g, fixation of image by cooling below T_g, and image erasure at elevated temperature, was proposed.     

Photomechanical Luminescence from Through-Space Conjugated AIEgens

Transforming molecular motions into the macroscopic scale is a topic of great interest to nanoscience. The photomechanical effect is a promising strategy to achieve this goal. Herein, we report an intriguing photomechanical luminescence driven by the photodimerization of 2-phenylbenzo[b]thiophene 1,1-dioxide (P-BTO) in molecular crystals and elucidate the working mechanism and substituent effect through crystallographic analysis and theoretical calculations. Striking splitting, hopping, and bending mechanical behaviors accompanied by a significant blue fluorescence enhancement are observed for P-BTO crystals under UV light, which is attributed to the formation of photodimer 2P-BTO. Although 2P-BTO is poorly π-conjugated because of the central cyclobutane ring, it exhibits prominent through-space conjugation and aggregation-induced emission (AIE), affording strong solid-state blue fluorescence at 415 nm with an excellent quantum yield of up to 96.2 %.     

Photomechanical Luminescence from Through‐Space Conjugated AIEgens

Transforming molecular motions into the macroscopic scale is a topic of great interest to nanoscience. The photomechanical effect is a promising strategy to achieve this goal. Herein, we report an intriguing photomechanical luminescence driven by the photodimerization of 2‐phenylbenzo[b]thiophene 1,1‐dioxide (P‐BTO) in molecular crystals and elucidate the working mechanism and substituent effect through crystallographic analysis and theoretical calculations. Striking splitting, hopping, and bending mechanical behaviors accompanied by a significant blue fluorescence enhancement are observed for P‐BTO crystals under UV light, which is attributed to the formation of photodimer 2P‐BTO. Although 2P‐BTO is poorly π‐conjugated because of the central cyclobutane ring, it exhibits prominent through‐space conjugation and aggregation‐induced emission (AIE), affording strong solid‐state blue fluorescence at 415 nm with an excellent quantum yield of up to 96.2 %.     

双-2-萘甲酸烷基酯的分子内类立方烷光二聚体的手性拆分

双-2-萘甲酸多亚甲基二醇酯(N-Mn-N,n=2,3,4,5)在环己烷中进行光二聚反应的效率和产物的结构明显受链节长度的影响.N-M3-N生成反式-头头和顺式-头头两种结构的类立方烷,而N-M4-N和N-M5-N高产率、高区域选择性地生成反式-头头结构的类立方烷.更有意义的是,我们利用高效液相色谱成功拆分了反式-头头结构的分子内光二聚产物.     

Unsymmetrical photodimerization of a 9-aminomethylanthracene in the crystalline salt

By the salt formation with particular nonaromatic dicarboxylic acids, rapid and selective photodimerization of 9-(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)anthracene (1) was accomplished in the solid state. For instance, the salt with trans,trans-muconic acid or acetylenedicarboxylic acid was led quantitatively to the 9,10:4',1' photodimer usy-ht-2, the first example of the unsymmetrical [4+4] photodimerization of anthracene in the solid state. The reactions were rationalized by the relevant C...C distances between the reacting carbons.     

Effects of molecular structure and environment on the photodimerization of substituted anthracenes

Photochemical and photophysical studies of a number of 9-substituted anthracene sandwich pairs in their corresponding photodimer crystal matrices have been carried out. Corresponding studies have also been made in methylcyclohexane matrices at 6 K. Photodimerization of the 9-methyl, 9-chloro and 9-cyano derivatives in the photodimer matrices occurs at 6 K with unit quantum yield. The presence of excimer fluorescence from sandwich pairs indicates the lack of a perfect topochemical orientation while activation processes, leading to photodimerization, involve molecular re-orientation from more stable ground state configurations which are achieved within the constraints imposed by the solvent or crystalline cage.     

The photo-Arbuzov rearrangement of dimethyl 9-anthrylmethyl phosphite and the photodimerization of the corresponding phosphonate

Upon irradiation, 9-anthrylmethyl phosphite ( 2 ) undergoes the photo-Arbuzov rearrangement to give the corresponding phosphonate 3 . Prolonged irradiation led to the clean formation of the centrosymmetric, head to tail, [4 + 4] photocycloaddition product 4 as indicated by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The same photodimer results on irradiation of phosphonate 3 itself in solution or in the solid phase. Phosphite 2 does not undergo photodimerization to 6 . © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 9:155–160, 1998     

Monitoring structural transformations in crystals. 7. 1‐Chloro­anthracene and its photodimer

Crystals of the 1‐chloro­anthracene photodimer, viz. trans‐bi(1‐chloro‐9,10‐di­hydro‐9,10‐anthracenediyl), C₂₈H₁₈Cl₂, were obtained from the solid‐state [4+4]‐photodimerization of the monomer, C₁₄H₉Cl, followed by recrystallization. The symmetry of the product mol­ecules is defined by the orientation of the reactant mol­ecules in the crystal. The mutual orientation parameters calculated for adjacent monomers explain the reactivity of the compound. The mol­ecules in the crystal of the monomer and the recrystallized photodimer pack differently and the photodimer has crystallographically imposed inversion symmetry.     

Self-assembled coordination cage as a reaction vessel: triplet sensitized [2+2] photodimerization of acenaphthylene, and [4+4] photodimerization of 9-anthraldehyde

Inner cavity of Pd-nanocage has been used as a reaction vessel for performing triplet sensitized [2+2] photodimerization of acenaphthylene using water soluble xanthene dyes (Eosin Y and Rose Bengal) as sensitizers, and [4+4] photodimerization of 9-anthraldehyde. Although the [4+4] photodimerization of 9-anthraldehyde gave similar results to solution reaction, the xanthene dye sensitized [2+2] triplet state photodimerization of acenaphthylene encapsulated within Pd-nanocage yielded the syn dimer in quantitative yield. The results obtained from the triplet state [2+2] photodimerization of acenaphthylene within Pd-nanocage is remarkable given the fact that the photodimerization reaction when performed in methanol in the presence of Eosin Y and Rose Bengal gave the syn and anti dimers in the ratio 0.5 and 0.6, respectively. Preaggregation of molecules encapsulated inside Pd-nanocage in a syn fashion seems to be the governing factor for such a behavior.     

Stereoselective Photodimerization of 2-Anthracenecarboxylic Acid Using a Cation-Charged PSMP12-Cyclodextrin Template

Two pyridinium groups were introduced into -cyclodextrin (-CD) at the A and E glucose units to make a molecular flask for controlling the stereo-selectivity of photodimerization of 2-anthracenecarboxylic acid. When the photodimerization of 2-anthracenecarboxylic acid was carried out in the presence of bispyridinio-appended -CD, the relative yield of one of the configurational isomers was increased 1.5-fold compared to the corresponding yield in aqueous solution. The optical yields of the photodimerization reaction products also increased more than 10-fold by the addition of bispyridinio-appended -CD.     

Phase Transition-Promoted Rapid Photomechanical Motions of Single Crystals of a Triene Coordination Polymer

Molecular crystals with the ability to transform light energy into macroscopic mechanical motions are a promising class of materials with potential applications in actuating and photonic devices. In regard to such materials, coordination polymers that exhibit dynamic photomechanical motion, associated with a phase transition, are unknown. Herein, we report an intriguing photoactive, one-dimensional Zn^II coordination polymer, 1 , derived from 1,3,5-tri-4-pyridyl-1,2-ethenylbenzene and 3,5-difluorobenzoate. Single crystals of 1 under UV light irradiation exhibit rapid shrinking and bending, violent bursting-jumping, splitting, and cracking behavior. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and ¹H NMR spectroscopy reveal an unusual photoinduced phase transition involving a single-crystal-to-single-crystal [2+2] cycloaddition reaction that results in photomechanical responses. Interestingly, crystals of 1 , which are triclinic with space group , are transformed into a higher symmetry, monoclinic cell with space group C2/c. This process represents a rare example of symmetry enhancement upon photoirradiation. The photomechanical activity is likely due to the sudden release of stress associated with strained molecular geometries and significant solid-state molecular movement arising from cleavage and formation of chemical bonds. A composite membrane fabricated from 1 and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) also displays interesting photomechanical behavior under UV light illumination, indicating the material's potential as a photoactuator.     

Mechanism of the photodissociation of the 9-methylanthracene photodimer

The photodissociation of the 9-methylanthracene photodimer (A₂) has been investigated in a non-polar solvent between 300 K and 77 K by means of steady state and flash experiments. A reaction scheme is proposed according to which at temperatures above 220 K photodissociation originates in a non-relaxed excited singlet state of the dimer whereas below 200 K it occurs via intermediate excimer formation. Around 77 K the excited triplet state, presumably, is the main source of dissociation.     

PHOTOCHEMICAL BEHAVIOR AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF 9-VINYLANTHRACENE

9-Vinylanthracene (9-VA) is an efficient fluorescer of fluorescence quantum yield = 0.91 0.03 in methanol (_ex= 365 nm). This is consistent with its low photochemical quantum yields _c (_cx= 365 nm) of 0.005 in the absence of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) radical initiator and _c= 0.02 in the presence of 10^-2 M dm^-3 AIBN. 9-Vinylanthracene was shown to behave as a 9-substituted anthracene undergoing photodimerization rather than the typical vinyl aryl monomer photopolymerization. The photodimer formation is supported by spectroscopic techniques. 9-Vinylanthracene undergoes efficient fluorescence quenching in the presence of AIBN. Stern-Volmer plots indicate a collisional mechanism. 9-Vinylanthracene crystals as well as polycrystalline films give excimeric emission (_max= 510 nm, _cx= 380 nm) which is considerably red shifted ( ca. 100 nm) compared with molecular emission.     

Photochemically driven shape changes of crystalline organic nanorods

Nanorods composed of 9-tert-butylanthroate (9-TBAE) are synthesized using an Al2O3 template and solvent annealing. The rods consist of micron-scale crystalline domains, and UV light induces a [4 + 4] photodimerization that results in a uniform 15% expansion along the rod axis. This is in contrast to random 9-TBAE crystals, which disintegrate under the same conditions. Transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and comparison of the X-ray crystal structures of the monomer and photodimer all provide evidence for a mechanism based on a crystal-to-crystal photoreaction leading to an increase in molecular volume. It is likely that the high surface-to-volume ratio in the nanorods provides a strain relief pathway that is absent in larger crystals. Preliminary attempts to reverse the reaction using shorter wavelength light to photodissociate the dimers were only partly successful. These results suggest that crystalline organic nanostructures may provide an efficient way to transform photochemical energy into mechanical motion on the nanometer scale.     

Pressure catalyzed bond dissociation in an anthracene cyclophane photodimer

The anthracene cyclophane bis-anthracene (BA) can undergo a [4 + 4] photocycloaddition reaction that results in a photodimer with two cyclobutane rings. We find that the subsequent dissociation of the dimer, which involves the rupture of two carbon-carbon bonds, is strongly accelerated by the application of mild pressures. The reaction kinetics of the dimer dissociation in a Zeonex (polycycloolefin) polymer matrix were measured at various pressures and temperatures. Biexponential reaction kinetics were observed for all pressures, consistent with the presence of two different isomers of bis(anthracene). One of the rates showed a strong dependence on pressure, yielding a negative activation volume for the dissociation reaction of ΔV(++) = -16 ?(3). The 93 kJ/mol activation energy for the dissociation reaction at ambient pressure is lowered by more than an order of magnitude from 93 to 7 kJ/mol with the application of modest pressure (0.9 GPa). Both observations are consistent with a transition state that is stabilized at higher pressures, and a mechanism for this is proposed in terms of a two-step process where a flattening of the anthracene rings precedes rupture of the cyclobutane rings. The ability to catalyze covalent bond breakage in isolated small molecules using compressive forces may present opportunities for the development of materials that can be activated by acoustic shock or stress.     

Photodimerization of azaanthracene derivatives mediated by cucurbit[10]uril

Challenges of achieving efficient photodimerization of azaanthracene derivatives remain due to the low selectivity and slow reaction rate. In this paper, cucurbit[10]uril (CB[10]), with the largest rigid and hydrophobic cavity among CB[n]s, was used to affect the photodimerization reaction of four water-soluble 1-(2-)substituted azaanthracene derivatives (1-4). It revealed that 1-4 could form 1:2 host-guest complexes with CB[10] in aqueous solution. Irradiation of 1 in the presence of 0.5 equiv. of CB[10] selectively produced a head-to-tail (anti-HT) photodimer product. As for 2-4, CB[10] acted as a nanoreactor accelerating their photodimerization reaction in water. Our results suggest that photodimerization of azaanthracene derivatives could be promoted by the CB[10]-based host-guest strategy with high efficiency and selectivity.     

苯乙烯基氮氧杂芳烃间的交叉光二聚反应

用中压汞灯(λ > 300 nm)照射4-苯乙烯基吡啶、2-苯乙烯基苯并噁唑和5-苯基-2-苯乙烯基噁唑三种杂芳基乙烯单体中任意两种的硫酸水溶液，得到三种交叉二聚体.用高效液相色谱跟踪研究了交叉光二聚反应，发现每组反应生成三种光二聚体，其中二种为单体自身的光二聚体，而另外一种是两种不同单体的交叉光二聚体.交叉二聚体通过柱色谱分离得到，其顺式头对尾结构经紫外、红外、氢谱、碳谱和元素分析确定.用紫外光谱和高效液相色谱跟踪研究了交叉光二聚体的稀溶液在低压汞灯（λmax=254 nm）照射下的光解反应.研究发现交叉二聚体能够彻底发生光解，首先生成原来的反式单体，所生成的反式单体容易发生异构化而生成顺式单体，最终建立起反顺异构化平衡.     

Anthracene derivatives and the corresponding dimers with TEMPO radicals

Anthracene derivatives with several TEMPO radicals (2-4, 10) were prepared, and each photodimerization reaction was investigated. Although the photodimerization was unsuccessful in obtaining the dimers of anthracenes 2 and 3, which could be alternatively prepared in a stepwise manner, the photodimers of anthracenes 4 and 10 were available by the direct photoreaction. The dissociation reaction of the dimers proceeded well by heating them in solution to give the corresponding monomers in each case, and thus the reversible system could be constructed in the latter two systems. While no large difference was observed in their magnetic behaviors between the monomer/dimer pair of 4 and 8, an intriguing difference was found in the magnetic behaviors for the pair of 10 and 11 from ferromagnetic interactions in 10 to the variable magnetic interactions in 11 depending on the solvent molecules incorporated in the crystals.