Design and Synthesis of Aviram–Ratner‐Type Dyads and Rectification Studies in Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) Films

The design and synthesis of Aviram–Ratner‐type molecular rectifiers, featuring an anilino‐substituted extended tetracyanoquinodimethane (exTCNQ) acceptor, covalently linked by the σ‐spacer bicyclo[2.2.2]octane (BCO) to a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) donor moiety, are described. The rigid BCO spacer keeps the TTF donor and exTCNQ acceptor moieties apart, as demonstrated by X‐ray analysis. The photophysical properties of the TTF‐BCO‐exTCNQ dyads were investigated by UV/Vis and EPR spectroscopy, electrochemical studies, and theoretical calculations. Langmuir–Blodgett films were prepared and used in the fabrication and electrical studies of junction devices. One dyad showed the asymmetric current–voltage (I–V) curve characteristic for rectification, unlike control compounds containing the TTF unit but not the exTCNQ moiety or comprising the exTCNQ acceptor moiety but lacking the donor TTF part, which both gave symmetric I–V curves. The direction of the observed rectification indicated that the preferred electron current flows from the exTCNQ acceptor to the TTF donor.     

Donor–acceptor ferrocenyl triazines: synthesis and properties

A series of star shaped donor–π–acceptor type symmetrical triazine was designed and synthesized by the Pd-catalysed Sonogshira cross coupling reaction. The ferrocenyl moiety with different spacer groups acts as donor and 1,3,5-triazine as acceptor. The photophysical results show intramolecular charge transfer from ferrocene to the 1,3,5-triazine unit. The cyclic voltammetric analysis reveals substantial donor–acceptor interaction. The triazines exhibit good thermal stability with high decomposition temperature.     

Organic Dyes Containing Pyrenylamine‐Based Cascade Donor Systems with Different Aromatic π Linkers for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells: Optical,Electrochemical, and Device Characteristics

New organic dyes containing pyrenylamine donors in a cascade arrangement and cyanoacrylic acid acceptors have been synthesized and characterized by optical, electrochemical, and theoretical studies. The dyes inherit a D ‐π¹‐D ‐π²‐A (D=donor, A=acceptor) molecular architecture where the π linkers π¹ are changed from phenyl to biphenyl and fluorene, whereas the π linker π² that connects the donor fragment with the acceptor is a phenyl unit. The conjugation pathway linking the two donor segments has been found to play a major role in the optical and electrochemical properties. Shorter π linkers such as phenyl groups facilitate the donor–acceptor interaction while the nonplanar biphenyl spacer decreases the electronic communication between the donors and enhances the oxidation propensity of the corresponding dye. All the dyes display an intense longer wavelength electronic transition,which is attributable to the amine‐to‐cyanoacrylic acid charge transfer. The extinction coefficient of this peak grows dramatically on increasing the conjugation pathway length between the two donor segments. The dyes were used as sensitizers in nanocrystalline TiO₂‐based dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and the cascade donor system contributed to the enhancement in the device efficiency due to favorable absorption and redox properties.     

Controlling conformations in alternating dialkylsilylene-spaced donor-acceptor copolymers by a cooperative Thorpe-Ingold effect and polymer folding

A series of dialkylsilylene-spaced copolymers 6 and 7, which contain Me(2)Si and iPr(2)Si spacer groups, respectively, and have alternating donor and acceptor chromophores, have been designed and regioselectively synthesized by hydrosilylation. The ratio of the donor and acceptor chromophores for each repeat unit is 2:1, and the two donor chromophores are linked by a trimethylene bridge. A 4-aminostyrene moiety is used as the donor and a series of acceptor chromophores with different reduction potentials are employed. Both steady-state and kinetic measurements reveal that the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) in 6 obeyed the Marcus theory in which normal and inverted regions are observed. On the other hand, the iPr(2)Si-spaced copolymers 7 exhibit absorption and emission from the charge-transfer complexes exclusively due to ground-state interactions between the donor and acceptor chromophores. The discrepancy in photophysical behavior may have arisen from the difference in distance between the adjacent donor and acceptor chromophores. The bulkiness of the substituents on the silicon atom (i.e., Me versus iPr) may exert the Thorpe-Ingold effect on the local conformation around the silicon atom. The differences in the small energetic barriers for each of the conformational states may be amplified by extending the distance of the folding structure, which results in perturbing the conformation of the polymers. These results suggest that the electronic interactions between adjacent donor-acceptor pairs in these copolymers are controlled by the synchronization of the substitution effect and corresponding polymeric structures.     

High-Performance Dipolar Organic Dyes with an Electron-Deficient Diphenylquinoxaline Moiety in the π-Conjugation Framework for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

We report here the synthesis and electrochemical and photophysical properties of a series of easily prepared dipolar organic dyes and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). For the six organic dyes, the molecular structures comprised a triphenylamine group as an electron donor, a cyanoacrylic acid as an electron acceptor, and an electron-deficient diphenylquinoxaline moiety integrated in the π-conjugated spacer between the electron donor and acceptor moieties. The incorporation of the electron-deficient diphenylquinoxaline moiety effectively reduces the energy gap of the dyes and broadly extends the spectral coverage. DSSCs based on dye 6 produced the best overall cell performance of 7.35?%, which translates to approximately 79?% of the intrinsic efficiency of the DSSCs based on the standard N719 dye under identical experimental conditions. The high performance of DSSCs based on dye 6 among the six dyes explored is attributed to the combined effects of high dye loading on a TiO(2) surface, rapid dye regeneration, and effective retardation of charge recombination.     

Incommensurability induced by intermolecular hydrogen bonding

Non-symmetric dimesogens are composed of two different mesogenic units linked via a flexible spacer. In this study, a new type of non-symmetric dimesogen has been built through the self-assembly via intermolecular hydrogen bonding between appropriately designed H-bond donor (3-cholesteryloxycarbonylpentanoic acid) and acceptor (aromatic mesogen with a pyridyl group) moieties. As for covalently linked dimesogens, several types of smectic periodicities are observed for these H-bonded cholesteryl compounds depending on the length of the terminal chain of the acceptor moiety: a smectic periodicity resulting from associated dimesogens is observed for long terminal chains, while short chain homologues display an intercalated structure corresponding to half the molecular length. The competition between these two incommensurate lengths can induce an incommensurate smectic phase where the two smectic periodicities coexist at long range.     

Folding of alternating dialkylsilylene-spaced donor-acceptor copolymers: the oligomer approach

A series of oligmers with donor-acceptor pairs separated by diisopropylsilylene (iPr(2)Si) spacers, composed of monomer 4b, dimer 5, trimer 6, and tetramer 7, were synthesized to scrutinize the folding behavior. Monomer 4a with a dimethylsilylene (Me(2)Si) spacer was also prepared for comparison. The 4-aminostyrene moiety was used as the donor and the stilbene moiety as the acceptor. Both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopic measurement were made. Regardless of the substituents on the silicon atom, the emission spectra of 4a and 4b exhibit both local excited (LE) emission of the acceptor chromophore and emission from the charge-separated state (CT emission), which are similar to that of the corresponding Me(2)Si-spaced copolymer 2a with the same donor and acceptor chromophores, but different from that of the copolymer with the iPr(2)Si spacer 2b. Dimer 5 behaves like 4 and 2a. As the chain length of the oligomers increases, the emission properties of the higher homologues become prone to that of 2b. Thus, tetramer 7 exhibits emission from the charge-transfer complex, which is essentially same as that of 2b. Moreover, charge-transfer absorptions emerge in 6 and 7. These results suggest that the folding nature of oligomers approaches that of the corresponding polymer, as the degree of oligomerization increases, and the electronic interactions between adjacent donor-acceptor pairs are controlled by the steric effect of the substituents on the silicon atoms and concomitant amplification of the stabilizing energy by extending the distance of the folding structure.     

Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells Based on (Donor‐π‐Acceptor)2 Dyes With Dithiafulvalene as the Donor

Dipolar metal‐free sensitizers (D‐π‐A; D=donor, π=conjugated bridge, A=acceptor) consisting of a dithiafulvalene (DTF) unit as the electron donor, a benzene, thiophene, or fluorene moiety as the conjugated spacer, and 2‐cyanoacrylic acid as the electron acceptor have been synthesized. Dimeric congeners of these dyes, (D‐π‐A)₂, were also synthesized through iodine‐induced dimerization of an appropriate DTF‐containing segment. Dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with the new dyes as the sensitizers have cell efficiencies that range from 2.11 to 5.24 %. In addition to better light harvesting, more effective suppression of the dark current than the D‐π‐A dyes is possible with the (D‐π‐A)₂ dyes.     

High‐Performance Dipolar Organic Dyes with an Electron‐Deficient Diphenylquinoxaline Moiety in the π‐Conjugation Framework for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

We report here the synthesis and electrochemical and photophysical properties of a series of easily prepared dipolar organic dyes and their application in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). For the six organic dyes, the molecular structures comprised a triphenylamine group as an electron donor, a cyanoacrylic acid as an electron acceptor, and an electron‐deficient diphenylquinoxaline moiety integrated in the π‐conjugated spacer between the electron donor and acceptor moieties. The incorporation of the electron‐deficient diphenylquinoxaline moiety effectively reduces the energy gap of the dyes and broadly extends the spectral coverage. DSSCs based on dye 6 produced the best overall cell performance of 7.35 %, which translates to approximately 79 % of the intrinsic efficiency of the DSSCs based on the standard N719 dye under identical experimental conditions. The high performance of DSSCs based on dye 6 among the six dyes explored is attributed to the combined effects of high dye loading on a TiO₂ surface, rapid dye regeneration, and effective retardation of charge recombination.     

Surface-confined energy transfer in mixed self-assembled monolayers

We have fabricated a set of self-assembled monolayers consisting of naphthalene and dansyl derivatives in a range of surface loading ratios for the purpose of examining excitation transport in mixed self-assembled monolayer systems. Both tethered chromophores were immobilized on an epoxide-terminated adlayer on silica via an identical spacer, where the linking chemistry produced an amide linkage. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ellipsometry, and contact angle measurements were used to characterize these chromophore-containing layers. The excitation transfer behavior of these monolayers has been examined using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Steady-state fluorescence measurements show that excitation transfer from the naphthalene to dansyl chromophores occurs, with the efficiency of excitation transport scaling with chromophore surface loading densities, as expected. The donor lifetimes decrease with increasing acceptor loading density, and the functional form of the acceptor decay was independent of the donor/acceptor ratio. Our findings are not consistent with a homogeneous adlayer, but do provide information on the structural heterogeneity that is characteristic of these interfaces.     

Intramolecular electronic energy transfer in bichromophoric macrocyclic complexes

Efficient intramolecular electronic energy transfer (EET) has been demonstrated for three novel bichromophoric compounds utilizing a macrocyclic spacer as the bridge between the electronic energy donor and acceptor fragments. As their free base forms, emission from the electronically excited donor is absent and the acceptor emission is reductively quenched via photoinduced oxidation of proximate amine lone pairs. As their Zn(II) complexes, excitation of the donor results in sensitization of the electronic acceptor emission.     

New design strategy for the two-photon active material based on push-pull substituted bisanthene molecule

In the present work, we have critically examined the origin of strong two-photon transition probability of a donor-acceptor substituted bisanthene molecule that imitates a small piece of edge passivated (4, 4) graphene nanoribbon. In our calculations, we have considered -OMe, and -NH(2) as donors and -NO(2) as an acceptor. The one- and two-photon absorption parameters are evaluated using state-of-the-art linear and quadratic response theory, respectively, and all these calculations are carried out within the framework of time dependent density functional theory. To give a proper judgment on our findings, we have used the long-range corrected CAMB3LYP functional for all of the time dependent calculations. The present investigation reveals that the bisanthene molecule with three pairs of donor/acceptor moiety has a lower two-photon transition probability than that of a suitably designed bisanthene with only a single pair of donor/acceptor moiety. This in silico observation is consistent for all of the donor/acceptor moieties chosen in the present work. A comprehensive analysis at the two state model level of theory clearly offers us a verdict that by placing the donor/acceptor moiety in a suitable position of bisanthene, we can create a significant asymmetry in the electron density in the first excited state, which eventually leads to a significant difference in the ground and excited state dipole moment and is attributed to the higher two-photon transition probability of a particular bisanthene with a single pair of donor/acceptor moiety than bisanthene with three pairs of donor/acceptor.     

Synthesis, electrochemical and intramolecular charge-transfer properties of ‘calix[4]arene-acceptor’ diad and triad derivatives

Calix[4]arenes substituted with various acceptor moieties (naphthoquinone (NQ), tetracyanoanthraquinodimethane (TCNAQ)) have been synthesized. In these derivatives the three-dimensional structure of calix[4]arene acts as a weak electron donor (D), connected via a linear sigma spacer to one or two electroactive acceptor (A) units. The electrochemical behavior of these derivatives has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. The UV-Vis spectrum of the TCNAQ triad (A-D-A, 13) reveals the presence of a weak intramolecular charge transfer absorption band.     

Synthesis, Characterization, and Theoretical Study of Sulfur-Containing Donor-Acceptor DCNQI Derivatives with Photoinduced Intramolecular Electron Transfer

The donor-acceptor compounds N,N'-dicyanobenzo[b]naphtho[2,3-e][1,4]dithiin-6,11-quinonediimine (9a) and N,N'-dicyanobenzo[b]naphtho[2,3-e][1,4]oxathiin-6,11-quinonediimine (10a) and their methyl-substituted derivatives (9b and 10b-d, respectively) have been prepared, and their structural and electronic properties have been characterized by both experimental techniques and quantum-chemical calculations. The (1)H-NMR spectra evidence the existence of a syn/anti isomerism in solution. Both experimental and theoretical data suggest that the preferred configuration of the N-CN groups corresponds to a syn isomer for 9 and to an anti isomer for 10. The X-ray analysis performed for 9b reveals that molecules are not planar and pack in vertical stacks showing an overlap between donor and acceptor moieties of adjacent molecules. In agreement with X-ray data, theoretical calculations predict that both for 9 and 10 the acceptor DCNQI moiety is folded and adopts a butterfly-type structure and the donor moiety is bent along the line passing through the heteroatoms. The energy difference between planar and butterfly structures is calculated to be < 3 kcal/mol at the ab initio 6-31G level. The UV-vis spectra present a broad absorption in the visible which corresponds to a photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer from the high-energy HOMO furnished by the donor moiety to the low-energy LUMO located on the DCNQI fragment. Cyclic voltammetry displays one oxidation peak to the cation and two one-electron reduction waves to the anion and dianion. Theoretical calculations show the planarization of the acceptor/donor moiety induced by reduction/oxidation. The formation of stable radical anions is corroborated by the intense EPR signals recorded for reduced 9. The assignment of the hyperfine coupling constants of the EPR spectra is consistent with the existence of a preferred syn configuration.     

Efficient excitation energy transfer in long meso-meso linked Zn(II) porphyrin arrays bearing a 5,15-bisphenylethynylated Zn(II) porphyrin acceptor

Electronically coupled porphyrin arrays are suitable for artificial light harvesting antenna in light of a large absorption cross-section and fast excitation energy transfer (EET). Along this line, an artificial energy transfer model system has been synthesized, comprising of an energy donating meso-meso linked Zn(II) porphyrin array and an energy accepting 5,15-bisphenylethynylated Zn(II) porphyrin linked via a 1,4-phenylene spacer. This includes an increasing number of porphyrins in the meso-meso linked Zn(II) porphyrin array, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 (Z1A, Z2A, Z3A, Z6A, Z12A, and Z24A). The intramolecular singlet-singlet EET processes have been examined by means of the steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. The steady-state fluorescence comes only from the acceptor moiety in Z1A-Z12A, indicating nearly the quantitative EET. In Z24A that has a molecular length of ca. 217 A, the fluorescence comes largely from the acceptor moiety but partly from the long donor array, indicating that the intramolecular EET is not quantitative. The transient absorption spectroscopy has provided the EET rates in real time scale: (2.5 ps)(-1) for Z1A, (3.3 ps)(-1) for Z2A, (5.5 ps)(-1) for Z3A, (21 ps)(-1) for Z6A, (63 ps)(-1) for Z12A, and (108 ps)(-1) for Z24A. These results have been well explained by a revised F?rster equation (Sumi formula), which takes into account an exciton extending coherently over several porphyrin pigments in the donor array, whose length is not much shorter than the average donor-acceptor distance. Advantages of such strongly coupled porphyrin arrays in light harvesting and transmission are emphasized in terms of fast EET and a large absorption cross-section for incident light.     

Light‐Harvesting Ytterbium(III)–Porphyrinate–BODIPY Conjugates: Synthesis,Excitation‐Energy Transfer,and Two‐Photon‐Induced Near‐Infrared‐Emission Studies

Based on a donor–acceptor framework, several conjugates have been designed and prepared in which an electron‐donor moiety, ytterbium(III) porphyrinate (YbPor), was linked through an ethynyl bridge to an electron‐acceptor moiety, boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY). Photoluminescence studies demonstrated efficient energy transfer from the BODIPY moiety to the YbPor counterpart. When conjugated with the YbPor moiety, the BODIPY moiety served as an antenna to harvest the lower‐energy visible light, subsequently transferring its energy to the YbPor counterpart, and, consequently, sensitizing the Yb^III emission in the near‐infrared (NIR) region with a quantum efficiency of up to 0.73 % and a lifetime of around 40 μs. Moreover, these conjugates exhibited large two‐photon‐absorption cross‐sections that ranged from 1048–2226 GM and strong two‐photon‐induced NIR emission.     

Benzothiazolium-π-thiazole-dicyanomethanides: new nonlinear optical chromophores

A series of merocyanines with a benzothiazolylidene donor and a quinoidal thiazole moiety have been synthesized. Experimental results and theoretical calculations show that these compounds have zwitterionic ground states and negative second-order optical nonlinearities. Unlike most merocyanines, the degree of charge transfer does not decrease on increasing the separation between the donor and the acceptor groups, an unexpected feature related to the presence of the proaromatic thiazole fragment.     

Insights into the free-energy dependence of intramolecular dissociative electron transfers

To study the relationship between rate and driving force of intramolecular dissociative electron transfers, a series of donor-spacer-acceptor (D-Sp-A) systems has been devised and synthesized. cis-1,4-Cyclohexanedyil and a perester functional group were kept constant as the spacer and acceptor, respectively. By changing the aryl substituents of the phthalimide moiety, which served as the donor, the driving force could be varied by 0.74 eV. X-ray diffraction crystallography and ab initio conformational calculations pointed to D-Sp-A molecules having the cis-(cyclohexane) equatorial(phthalimido)-axial(perester) conformation and the same D/A orientation. The intramolecular dissociative electron-transfer process was studied by electrochemical means in N,N-dimethylformamide, in comparison with thermodynamic and kinetic information obtained with models of the acceptor and the donor. The intramolecular process consists of the electron transfer from the electrochemically generated phthalimide-moiety radical anion to the peroxide functional group. The electrochemical analysis provided clear evidence of a concerted dissociative electron-transfer mechanism, leading to the cleavage of the O-O bond. Support for this mechanism was obtained by ab initio MO calculations, which provided information about the LUMO of the acceptor and the SOMO of the donor. The intramolecular rate constants were determined and compared with the corresponding intermolecular values, the latter data being obtained by using the model molecules. As long as the effective location of the centroid of the donor SOMO does not vary significantly by changing the aryl substituent(s), the intramolecular dissociative electron transfer obeys the same main rules already highlighted for the corresponding intermolecular process. On the other hand, introduction of a nitro group drags the SOMO away from the acceptor, and consequently, the intramolecular rate drops by as much as 1.6 orders of magnitude from the expected value. Therefore, a larger solvent reorganization than for intermolecular electron transfers and the effective D/A distance and thus electronic coupling must be taken into account for quantitative predictions of intramolecular rates.     

Liquid crystalline copolymers containing electron donor and acceptor mesogens with a chiral group in the spacer unit

Side-chain liquid crystalline polymers containing both mesogenic (carbazolylmethylene)aniline and (4′-nitrobenzylidene)aniline units with various spacer groups were prepared to examine effects of the structure of spacer groups on the liquid crystalline properties. The copolymer containing (R)-(+)-2-methylpropylene as a chiral group in the spacer unit induced a smectic phase; the copolymer with a trimethylene spacer of similar length to the chiral spacer exhibited a nematic phase. Smectic phases were observed for the copolymer containing the chiral spacer group when the proportion of the carbazolyl group was in the range of 0.55–0.88. For example, the copolymer with the proportion of the carbazolyl group of 0.68 expressed the smectic phase from 88° to 167°C. This isotropic temperature was 37° higher than the calculated value (130°C) based on an assumed copolymer composition without the electron donor–acceptor interaction. Thus, it is assumed that for the chiral copolymer containing both electron donor and acceptor groups, the thermal stability and the induction of the smectic phase were caused by both the electron donor–acceptor interaction and the existence of the chiral group in the spacer unit. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Photophysics of 4-N,N-dimethylamino cinnamaldehyde in AOT reverse micelles and exploration of its position and orientation

An attempt has been made in this Letter to locate the position and orientation of 4-N,N-dimethylamino cinnamaldehyde (DMACA) inside sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)–n-heptane reverse micelle based on change in photophysical properties of DMACA compared to that in n-heptane. It has been proposed that the possibility of finding the donor moiety inside the small water pool of reverse micelle is maximum while the acceptor group straddles in the remaining part of the reverse micelle. The micropolarity in the vicinity of the donor moiety has been computed in terms of dielectric constant with varying water pool size.