Circularly Polarized Luminescence Switching in Small Organic Molecules

The circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) switching is of significant interest for applications in security technologies and sensing devices. Small organic molecules (SOMs) show several advantages over metal complexes, supramolecular assemblies, and polymers. Therefore, the recent progress on the CPL switching in SOMs is here reviewed. The results are summarized based on the strategies used to tune factors that influence the emission properties, and thus, to realize CPL switching. The strategies that have been adopted include promoting the excimer formation of fluorescent units, changing the conformation of fluorophores, tuning the electronic structure of the π-skeleton/substituent, and modulating the intramolecular charge-transfer dynamics.     

Tetrablock Metallopolymer Electrochromes

Multi‐block polymers are highly desirable for their addressable functions that are both unique and complementary among the blocks. With metal‐containing polymers, the goal is even more challenging insofar as the metal properties may considerably extend the materials functions to sensing, catalysis, interaction with metal nanoparticles, and electro‐ or photochrome switching. Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) has become available for the formation of living polymers using highly efficient initiators such as the 3rd generation Grubbs catalyst [RuCl₂(NHC)(=CHPh)(3‐Br‐C₅H₄N)₂], 1 . Among the 24 possibilities to introduce 4 blocks of metallopolymers into a tetrablock metallocopolymer by ROMP using the catalyst 1 , two viable pathways are disclosed. The synthesis, characterization, electrochemistry, electron‐transfer chemistry, and remarkable electrochromic properties of these new nanomaterials are presented.     

Transition and post-transition metal ion chemistry of dibenzo-substituted,mixed-donor macrocycles incorporating five donor atoms

The transition and post-transition metal ion chemistry of a wide range of potentially pentadentate dibenzo-substituted macrocyclic ligands incorporating nitrogen, oxygen and/or sulfur donors is reviewed and shown to result in a diverse range of structural types. Aspects of metal ion recognition, bulk membrane transport, systems incorporating appended chromophores, a sulfate binding system, induced Cu(I)/Cu(II) redox switching, coordination polymers, and unsymmetric macrocyclic ligand systems are all discussed.     

Thienylmethylene Oxindole Based Conjugated Polymers via Direct Arylation Polymerization and Their Electrochromic Properties

Direct arylation methods have been used to polymerize thienylmethylene oxindoles(TEIs) and 3,3-bis[[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]methyl]-3,4-dihydro-2 H-thieno-[3,4-b][1,4]dioxepin(ProDOT) for new donor-acceptor conjugated polymers. The polymers exhibited blue hues in neutralstate with distinct color-to-transmissive reversible electrochromic switching under applied potentials from 0 V to +1.5 V, and showed high coloration efficiencies(436-438 cm~2·C~(-1)) in near-infrared regions with high switching speeds around 1-2 s under ambient conditions.     

Filament temperature stabilizer for a thermal ionization mass spectrometer

A major enhancement in temperature stabilization of a filament has recently been achieved by means of the Halas–Kami ski bridge, in which the reference resistance of one leg is directly proportional to the filament temperature. In this article we describe a novel version of this type of electronic circuit which feeds dc power voltage to the filament via a switching transistor. The switching frequency is regulated by means of a triangular waveform generator incorporated into the system. The duration of the heating peak (square wave) is automatically adjusted properly once at each break between two subsequently appearing heating peaks, which is the interval when the bridge imbalance signal is measured. At the end of each break the bridge imbalance signal is kept on the output of the sample-and-hold amplifier. This signal compared with the generator output voltage provides the square wave for the switching transistor. The application of this circuit for a thermal ionization mass spectrometry is simple and straightforward. The filament temperature is set by two decade low-ohm resistors. Long-term variance of the ion current is approximately 5 times lower than that obtained by use of a commercial voltage stabilizer for the filament supply. It is shown theoretically that stabilization of the filament resistance results in the lowest possible variance of temperature.     

New Coordination Polymers of 1,4-Bis(2″-Hydroxyphenylazomethine) Phenylene

Coordination polymers of 1,4-bis(2′-hydroxyphenylazomethine) phenylene have been prepared with the metal ions Ti(III), Cr(III), Fe(III), Mn(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II). They were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and electronic spectra. The metal contents in all polymers were found to be consistent with a 1:1 (metal:ligand) stoichiometry. The thermal behavior of these coordination polymers has been studied by thermogravimetric analysis in air up to 750°C, and the data showed that they are thermally stable up to 200°C. Physical properties such as the solubility and viscosity of the polymer complexes were also determined. Electrical conductivity measurements of the synthesized polychelated polymers showed that they are insulators except for the Ni(II) complex which shows a semiconducting character. Mössbauer data clearly establish the 3 + oxidation state for the iron complex polymer.     

Conducting polymer/gold nanoparticle hybrid materials: A step toward electroactive plasmonic devices

We have combined metal nanoparticles (NPs) exhibiting strong localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the visible with conducting polymers. Two different configurations have been used. In the first one, gold NPs are simply absorbed onto the surface of a thin polyaniline (PANI) film. In this case, electrochemical switching of the PANI layer yields to progressive aggregation of the NPs. In the second one, a sandwich structure is built and NPs are completely surrounded by PANI thanks to the electrochemical deposition of a second PANI layer. In this latter case, reversible and potential dependant modulation and damping of the LSPR, upon PANI switching from its reduced to its oxidized state, is observed.     

Formation of nanostructured polymer filaments in nanochannels

We describe the use of hard etching methods to create nanodimensional channels and their use as templates for the formation of polymer filament arrays with precise dimensional and orientational control in a single integrated step. The procedure is general as illustrated by the radical, coordination, and photochemical polymerizations that were performed in these nanochannels. The nanochannel templates (20 nm high, 20-200 nm wide, and 100 mum long) were fabricated by the combined use of electron-beam lithography and a sacrificial metal line etching technique. Radical polymerization of acrylates, metal-catalyzed polymerization of norbornene, and photochemical polymerization of 1,4-diiodothiophene were carried out in these nanochannels. The polymers grown follow the dimensions and orientation of the channels, and the polymer filaments can be released without breaking. The approach opens up the possibility of just-in-place manufacturing and processing of patterns and devices from nanostructured polymers using well-established polymer chemistry.     

多色显示树枝状聚(3, 6-双噻吩咔唑)及其共聚物的电化学和电致变色性能

设计合成了一种新型的基于咔唑单元的树枝状3, 6-双噻吩咔唑衍生物(BTCPh),通过电化学聚合法制备出其均聚物及与3, 4-乙烯二氧噻吩(EDOT)的共聚物薄膜.利用电化学工作站-紫外可见光谱联用装置对两种聚合物的光谱电化学和电致变色(EC)性能进行表征.测试结果表明,均聚物(PBTCPh)薄膜在不同电压下可显示黄、绿、蓝、灰四种颜色;而EDOT单元的引入使共聚物P(BTCPh-EDOT)进一步增加了掺杂态,从而显示出更加丰富的五种颜色(橙、绿、棕绿、蓝、灰).此外,两种聚合物薄膜均具有良好的光学对比度和快速的响应速度,因而使其在智能窗及显示器方面展现了潜在的应用前景.     

苯/二联苯为桥的噻吩-吡咯-噻吩结构:分子构型及电致变色性质

A series of multi-branched dithienylpyrrole (SNS) monomers with rigid phenyl (PhSNS) and biphenyl rings (BPhSNS) as bridges were designed and synthesized, and were fabricated to form cross-linked polymers (pPhSNS, pBPhSNS) by electrochemical polymerization. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results showed that PhSNS and BPhSNS exhibited similar oxidative properties except for one new higher-potential oxidative peak appearing in the curves of PhSNS. Theoretical calculations indicated that it should be attributed to the different steric configuration between the two dithienylpyrrole (SNS) units in PhSNS. One SNS unit possessed a larger twist angle (40.2°) between thiophene and pyrrole rings than the other one (21.2°), which indicated that PhSNS possessed a relatively larger energy gap (~0.4 eV) between HOMO-1 and HOMO than BPhSNS, for which HOMO and HOMO-1 levels were of almost the same energy. However, both PhSNS and BPhSNS showed similar onset oxidation potentials. The CV curves of pPhSNS and pBPhSNS showed that they presented similar oxidative properties, which enabled their corresponding electrochemical polymers to exhibit similar electrochromic properties. The UV-vis spectra of the corresponding polymers showed that both pPhSNS and pBPhSNS possessed similar optical absorption and similar multicolor switching between yellow (-0.8 V), greyish-green (0.9 V) and gray (1.1 V) colors. Besides, pPhSNS and pBPhSNS showed fast switching times of 0.57 s and 0.93 s at 1100 nm, respectively and reasonable contrasts of 46% and 31% at 1100 nm, respectively. These investigations may help understand the relationship between structural configuration and the electrochemistry/electrochromic properties for polymer electrochromic (PEC) materials research.     

Photo and electrically switchable behavior of azobenzene containing pendant bent‐core liquid crystalline polymers

New class of photo and electrically switchable azobenzene containing pendant bent‐core liquid crystalline monomers ( AZBM 1, 2 , and 3 ) and their polymers ( AZBP 1, 2 , and 3 ) are reported. The synthesized precursors, monomers, and polymers were characterized by FT‐IR, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Thermal stability of polymers was examined by thermogravimetric analysis and revealed stable up to 260 °C. The mesophase transition of monomers and polymers are observed through polarized optical microscopy (POM) and further confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The electrically switching property of monomers and their polymers were studied by electro‐optical method. Among the three monomers AZBM 1, 2 , and 3 , AZBM 1 and 2 exhibit antiferroelectric (AF) switching and AZBM 3 exhibits ferroelectric (F) switching behavior. On the other hand, low molecular weight polymers ( AZMP 1, 2 , and 3 ) show weak AF and F switching behavior. The photo‐switching properties of bent‐core azo polymers are investigated using UV‐vis spectroscopy, trans to cis isomerization occurs around 25 s for AZBP‐1 and 30 s for AZBP‐2 and 3 in chloroform, whereas reverse processes take place around 80 and 90 s. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

脉冲激光沉积制备非晶La0.75Sr0.25MnO3薄膜用于半透明阻变存储器

用脉冲激光沉积方法制备非晶La_0.75Sr_0.25MnO₃（a-LSMO）薄膜作为阻变器件（Ag/a-LSMO/ITO）的中间层,所得器件具有良好的非易失性和双极阻变行为。ITO衬底及超薄a-LSMO薄膜具有很高的可见光透过率,从而可制备半透明阻变器件。通过高分辨透射电镜直接观测到了在银电极与ITO电极间的银导电细丝。器件的阻变特性归因于在非晶镧锶锰氧层中的银导电细丝的生长与断裂。     

脉冲激光沉积制备非晶La0.75Sr0.25MnO3薄膜用于半透明阻变存储器

用脉冲激光沉积方法制备非晶La_0.75Sr_0.25MnO₃（a-LSMO）薄膜作为阻变器件（Ag/a-LSMO/ITO）的中间层,所得器件具有良好的非易失性和双极阻变行为。ITO衬底及超薄a-LSMO薄膜具有很高的可见光透过率,从而可制备半透明阻变器件。通过高分辨透射电镜直接观测到了在银电极与ITO电极间的银导电细丝。器件的阻变特性归因于在非晶镧锶锰氧层中的银导电细丝的生长与断裂。     

Synthesis of porphyrin-incorporated polymers and their application for simultaneous detection of multimetal components by using spectrophotometry

For the purpose of detection of multimetal components in environment, alteration of the spectrophotometrical metal sensitivity of porphyrin was attempted. Two porphyrin-incorporated polymers were newly synthesized by the free radical copolymerization of protoporphyrin IX disodium salt and vinyl monomers, and their metal sensitivities were examined by measuring the difference absorption spectra. These porphyrin-incorporated polymers showed different metal sensitivities and their sensitivities were altered by change of pH. Three measuring reagents, which were different in the combination of the porphyrin-incorporated polymers and pH, were used for the simultaneous detection of multimetal components in metal ion mixtures. The difference spectra of these reagents showed the separate peaks corresponding to six metal ions, Bi(III), Co(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II). The spectra were acquired reproducibly by using standard normal variate (SNV) transformation. Furthermore, this method was applied to detect multimetal components in water samples such as tap water and industrial effluent.     

1D and 2D homochiral metal-organic frameworks built from a new chiral elongated binaphthalene-derived bipyridine

Six homochiral coordination polymers 1-6 based on a new enantiopure elongated (S)-2,2'-diethoxy-1,1'-binaphthyl-6,6'-bis(4-vinylpyridine) ligand (L) and divalent metal (Zn, Cd, and Ni) connecting points were synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. These new homochiral coordination polymers adopt two distinct framework structures: a one-dimensional infinite chain structure with bridging L ligands occupying the axial positions of the metal centers and a two-dimensional rhombic grid structure formed by linking octahedrally coordinated metal centers with four pyridyl groups of bridging L ligands in the equatorial positions. The structures of these coordination polymers are sensitive to the nature of the anions as well as the solvents from which the coordination polymer crystals were grown. Powder X-ray diffraction studies showed that the two-dimensional chiral rhombic grids exhibited porosity, which could potentially find applications in enantioselective separations and catalysis.     

Spectroelectrochemical characterisation of poly[Ni(saltMe)]-modified electrodes

Electrogenerated polymers based on the nickel(II) complex 2,3-dimethyl-N,N'-bis(salicylidene)butane-2,3-diaminatonickel(II), poly[Ni(saltMe)], were characterised by in situ FTIR and UV/Vis spectroscopy and ex-situ EPR spectroscopy in order to gain insights into film structure, electronic states and charge conduction. The role of the nickel ions during film oxidation was probed by using EPR to study naturally abundant Ni and 61Ni-enriched polymers. The data from all the spectroscopic techniques are consistent, and clearly indicate that polymerisation and redox switching are associated with oxidative ligand based processes; coulometry suggests that one positive charge was delocalised through each monomer unit. EPR provided evidence for the non-direct involvement of the metal in polymer oxidation: the polymer is best described as a polyphenylene-type compound (conducting polymer), rather than an aggregation of nickel complexes (redox polymer), and the main charge carriers are identified as polarons. An explanation for the high electrochemical stability and conductivity of poly[Ni(saltMe)] with respect to that of poly[Ni(salen)] is proposed. based on stereochemical repulsion between monomeric units; this can impose a less compact supramolecular structure on polymers with bulkier substituents.     

Self-Assembled Multivalent Ag-SR Coordination Polymers with Phosphatase-Like Activity

We show herein the phosphatase-like catalytic activity of coordination polymers obtained after adding Ag⁺-ions to thiols bearing hydrophobic alkyl chains terminated with a 1,4,7-triazacyclononane (TACN) group. The subsequent addition of Zn²⁺ -ions to the self-assembled polymers resulted in the formation of multivalent metal coordination polymers capable of catalysing the transphosphorylation of an RNA-model compound (2-hydroxypropyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate, HPNPP) with high reactivity. Analysis of a series of metal ions showed that the highest catalytic activity was obtained when Ag⁺-ions were used as the first metal ions to construct the backbone of the coordination polymer through interaction with the -SH group followed by Zn²⁺-ions as the second metal ions complexed by the TACN-macrocycle. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the catalytic activity could be modulated by changing the length of the hydrophobic alkyl chain.     

Environmentally sensitive silver nanoparticles of controlled size synthesized with PNIPAM as a nucleating and capping agent

Metal nanoparticles combined with environmentally sensitive polymers can lead to enhanced nanometer-sized switches. We present a silver nanoparticle synthesis method that uses poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) as the nucleating, capping, and stabilizing agent. The synthesis is performed at room temperature by sodium borohydride-mediated reduction of silver nitrate in the presence of a fully hydrated polymer. The resulting metal nanoparticles have a narrow size distribution comparable to or better than those achieved with other synthesis methods. The silver particles can be thermally precipitated by the collapse of the PNIPAM shell and resolubilized with fast response times, as shown by surface plasmon spectroscopy. The silver-PNIPAM composite allows for combined surface plasmon and thermal switching applications.     

Water‐soluble anionic conjugated polymers for metal ion sensing: Effect of interchain aggregation

Three sulfonato‐containing fluorene‐based anionic water‐soluble conjugated polymers, which are specially designed to link fluorene with alternating moieties such as bipyridine ( P1 ), pyridine ( P2 ), and benzene ( P3 ) have been synthesized via the Pd‐catalyzed Sonogashira‐coupling reaction, respectively. These polymers had good solubility in water and showed different responses for transition metal ions with different valence in aqueous environments: the fluorescence of bipyridine‐containing P1 can be completely quenched by addition of all transition metal ions selected and showed a good selectivity for Ni²⁺; the pyridine‐containing P2 had a little response for monovalent and divalent metal ions while showed good quenching with the addition of trivalent metal ions (with a special selectivity for Fe³⁺); P3 had responses only for the trivalent metal ions within the ionic concentration we studied. After investigation of the UV‐vis absorption spectra, PL emission spectra, DLS, and fluorescence lifetime of P1 – P3 in aqueous solution when adding transition metal ions, we found that the different spectrum responses of these polymers are attributed to the different coordination ability of the units linked with fluorene in the main chain. The energy or electron‐transfer reactions were the main reason for fluorescence quenching of P1 and P2 . On the other hand, interchain aggregation caused by trivalent metal ions lead to fluorescence quenching for P3 and also caused partly fluorescence quenching of P1 and P2 . These results revealed the origin of ionochromic effects of these polymers and suggested the potential application for these polymers as novel chemosensors with higher sensing sensitivity in aqueous environments. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5057–5067, 2009     

Rigid‐chain metallomesogenic polymers containing vanadyl or copper(II) ions coordinated in the main chain

Rigid‐chain metallomesogenic polymers containing Cu(II) or VO(II) were prepared and characterized. All the polymers were soluble and melted without decomposition. They showed a thermotropic liquid–crystal (LC) behavior, and the mesophases were invariably preserved for a long time at room temperature in a metastable condition, with respect to the semicrystalline state. The nature of the mesophases of the Cu(II)‐containing polymers was similar to that observed in analogous organic rigid‐chain polymers having long lateral alkyl chains packed as extended ribbons. The VO(II)‐containing polymers showed an LC polymorphism involving a smectic A and a nematic phase. For all the polymers in a smectic or smecticlike state at room temperature, X‐ray diffraction data suggested short mean distances among the metal ions arranged in layers. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2342–2349, 2001