One-pot oxidation and bromination of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dihydrothiophenes using Br2: synthesis and application of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dibromothiophenes

A class of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dibromothiophenes (1b-5b) was synthesized by a one-pot reaction of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dihydrothiophenes with Br2 reagent in excellent yield (83-92%). It was found that Br2 performed a double function (oxidation and bromination) during the conversion of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dihydrothiophenes to 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dibromothiophenes. The application of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dibromothiophenes used as building blocks was also investigated. Employing 3,4-diphenyl-2,5-dibromothiophene (1b) as a template, a class of 2,3,4,5-tetraarylthiophenes was prepared by the Suzuki coupling reaction. This provided a new and simple approach to the preparation of 2,3,4,5-tetraarylthiophenes.     

Toward functional pi-conjugated organophosphorus materials: design of phosphole-based oligomers for electroluminescent devices

The photophysical, electrochemical, and optoelectronic properties of conjugated systems incorporating dibenzophosphole or phosphole moieties are described. Dibenzophosphole derivatives are not suitable materials for OLEDs due to their weak photoluminescence (PL) in the solid state and the instability of the devices. Variation of the substitution pattern of phospholes and chemical modification of their P atoms afford thermally stable derivatives, which are photo- and electroluminescent. Comparison of the optical properties of solution and thin film of thioxophospholes shows that these compounds do not form aggregates in the solid state. This property, which is also supported by an X-ray diffraction study of three novel derivatives, results in an enhancement of the fluorescence quantum yields in the solid state. In contrast, (phosphole)gold(I) complexes exhibit a broad emission in thin film, which is due to the formation of aggregates. Single- and multilayer OLEDs using these P derivatives as the emissive layer have been fabricated. The emission color of these devices and their performances vary with the nature of the P material. Interestingly, di(2-thienyl)thiooxophosphole is an efficient host for the red dopant DCJTB, and devices using the gold complexes have broad emission spectra.     

Synthesis and properties of novel hole transport materials for electroluminescent devices

We synthesized low molecular weight triphenyldiamines (TPDs), novel 1,3,5-tris(diarylamino)benzenes (TDABs), polymeric triphenyldiamines and insoluble triphenylamine networks based on tris(4-ethynylphenyl)amine as hole transport materials for electroluminescent displays. The HOMO energy values as determined from cyclic voltammetry measurements for TPDs and TDABs are between −4.97 and −5.16 eV. By using a polymeric TPD as hole transport layer and tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminium as emitter, LEDs with an onset voltage of 3V and a luminance up to 900 cd/m² were obtained under ambient conditions.     

Photonic materials for electroluminescent,laser and photovoltaic devices

This article presents an overview of the work that has been done recently in our laboratory concerning the development and application of new conjugated materials with tunable properties. We have designed polymers containing oligo(phenylenevinylene)-type conjugated segments of well defined size and structure isolated either in their main-chain or in the side-chains. Model oligomers corresponding to the conjugated parts of the polymers have also been studied. We show how these materials perform in light-emission applications (light-emitting diodes, lasers) or photovoltaic cells.     

Synthesis and properties of oligofluorene-thiophenes as emissive materials for organic electroluminescent devices: color-tuning from deep blue to orange

A series of oligofluorene-thiophenes end-capped with 3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazole and pyrene were designed and synthesized for application as color tunable emissive materials for organic electroluminescent devices. They were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FT-IR, UV–vis, PL spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. Theoretical calculations revealed that the carbazole moiety attached to the end of the molecule is nearly perpendicular to oligofluorene-thiophene-pyrene plane and π-electrons in the ground state delocalize over the entire molecule. Their optical, thermal, and electrochemical properties could be tuned by varying the number of thiophene units in the molecule. All were electrochemically and thermally stable molecules. OLED devices of these materials emitted brightly in various colors from deep blue to orange. Particularly, deep blue (CIE coordinates of 0.16, 0.14) and green (CIE coordinates of 0.27, 0.61) devices showed high color quality close to the NTSC standards with high luminance efficiencies of 1.14 and 11.15 cd/A, respectively.     

Study on photochromism of diarylethenes with a 2,5-dihydropyrrole bridging unit: a convenient preparation of 3,4-diarylpyrroles from 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dihydropyrroles

Symmetric and nonsymmetric diarylethenes with a 2,5-dihydropyrrole bridging unit have been prepared, and the photochromic properties are investigated. Both symmetric and nonsymmetric diarylethenes with 2,5-dihydropyrrole bridging units undergo reversible ring-opening and ring-closing photoisomerization reactions in nonpolar solvents with UV/vis light, and some of them exhibit good fatigue resistance and no marked degradation detected after 10 cycles via an on/off switch. In polar solvents, however, photochromic diarylethenes with 2,5-dihydropyrrole bridging units produce 3,4-diarylpyrrole derivatives instead of the ring-closing isomer of diarylethenes with UV light irradiation. A class of N-substituted 3,4-diphenylethenes with 2,5-dihydropyrrole bridging units were prepared and used as templates to investigate the conversion reactions. The mechanism of photoconversion of 3,4-diaryl-2,5-dihydropyrroles to 3,4-diarylpyrroles was explored as well.     

Thermal stability of organic electroluminescent devices fabricated using novel charge transporting materials

Novel hole and electron transporting materials have been synthesized to improve the thermal stability of organic electroluminescent (EL) devices. Molecular structures of such hole and electron transporting materials were designed based on triphenylamine (TPA) and oxadiazole (OXD) moieties, respectively. It has been found that the resulting materials have high glass transition temperatures (Tg) over 100°C and the vacuum-deposited thin films are significantly thermally stable. For the two-layer EL devices using the novel hole transporting materials and the typical emitting material, tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminum, the thermal stability has been clearly seen to depend on the Tg of the hole transporting material; excellent thermal stability was achieved. For the three-layer EL device using the novel electron transporting material, good emission efficiency and good stability were achieved. The electron transporting materials have been also applied to the polymeric system with polyvinylcarbazole matrix.     

Proton phototransfer in a series of ortho-hydroxy derivatives of 2,5-diaryl-1,3-oxazole and 2,5-diaryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole in polystyrene films

Proton transfer in the lower excited singlet state has been examined for ortho-hydroxy derivatives of 2,5-diaryl-1,3-oxazole and 2,5-diaryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole in polystyrene films, as this largely determines the spectral characteristics. There is found to be a substantial reduction in the radiationless deactivation in the product from that reaction, namely the phototautomeric form, which is the basic reason for the low quantum yield in fluorescence in liquid solutions. These changes are explained from the viewpoint of a reduction in the probabilities of high-amplitude intramolecular motions in the excited phototautomeric forms of these ortho-hydroxy derivatives in a polymer. Chemical Research Institute, V. Karazin Kharkov National University, 4 pl. Svobody, Kharkov 310077, Ukraine. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 357–361, November–December, 1999.     

Dispirofluorene-indenofluorene derivatives as new building blocks for blue organic electroluminescent devices and electroactive polymers

A series of new dispiro[fluorene-9',6,9',12-indeno[1,2b]fluorenes] (DSF-IFs) has been synthesised. These new building blocks for blue-light-emitting devices and electroactive polymers combine indenofluorene (IF) and spirobifluorene (SBF) properties. We report here our synthetic investigations towards these new structures and their thermal, structural, photophysical and electrochemical properties. These properties have been compared to those of IF and SBF. We also report the anodic oxidation of DSF-IFs that leads to the formation of non-soluble transparent three-dimensional polymers. The structural and electrochemical behaviour of these polymers has been studied. The first application of these building blocks as new blue-light-emitting materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) is also reported.     

Synthesis, structure, aggregation-induced emission, self-assembly, and electron mobility of 2,5-bis(triphenylsilylethynyl)-3,4-diphenylsiloles

2,5-Bis(triphenylsilylethynyl)-3,4-diphenylsiloles with different 1,1-substituents [XYSi(CPh)(2) (C-C≡C-SiPh(3))(2)] (Ph=phenyl) were synthesized in high yields by the Sonogashira coupling of 2,5-dibromo-3,4-diphenylsiloles with triphenylsilylacetylene, and two of these were characterized crystallographically. Crystal structures and theoretical calculations showed that the new silole molecules had higher conjugation than 2,5-diarylsiloles. They possessed low HOMO and LUMO energy levels due to the electron-withdrawing effect of the triphenylsilylethynyl groups. Cyclic voltammetry analysis revealed low electron affinities, which were comparable to those of perfluoroarylsiloles. B3LYP/6-31* calculations demonstrated that the new siloles possessed large reorganization energies for electron and hole transfers and high electron mobilities. A mobility of up to 1.2×10(-5) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) was obtained by the transient electroluminescence method, which was about fivefold higher than that of tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum, a widely used electron-transport material, under the same conditions. All of the silole molecules possessed high thermal stability. Although, their solutions were weakly emissive, their nanoparticle suspensions and thin films emitted intense blue-green light upon photoexcitation, demonstrating a novel feature of aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Polarized emissions were observed in the silole crystals. The addition of solvents, which did not dissolve the silole molecules, into silole-containing solutions caused self-assembly of the molecules, which produced macroscopic fibrils with strong light emissions.     

Carbazole dendronised triphenylamines as solution processed high Tg amorphous hole-transporting materials for organic electroluminescent devices

Carbazole dendrimers up to 4th generation were synthesized. They showed significantly high T(g), amorphous and stable electrochemical properties, and great potential as solution processed hole-transporting materials for OLEDs. Alq3-based green devices exhibited high luminance efficiency and CIE coordinates of 4.45 cd A(-1) and (0.29, 0.53), respectively.     

Synthesis, characterization and applications of vinylsilafluorene copolymers: New host materials for electroluminescent devices

Vinylsilafluorene (VSiF) was successfully synthesized and copolymerized with vinylcarbazole and methyl methacrylate via free radical copolymerization for the first time. The synthesis, photophysical properties, computational modeling studies, and organic light-emitting devices of the VSiF copolymers were presented. The good coordinated photoluminescent (PL) spectra with the absorption of blue light-emitting materials and the high energy band-gap of the VSiF copolymers were observed. Higher triplet band gap (³ E _g) to host the blue phosphorescent emitters and better HOMO and LUMO than PVK for electron and hole injection and transportation of the VSiF model compounds were revealed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The preliminary device results in applications of these copolymers as host materials for green phosphorescent emitters demonstrate the copolymers of VSiF and vinylcarbazole have comparable device performance of polyvinylcarazole (PVK), suggesting a bright future of VSiF as building blocks for host materials.     

Hydrothermal synthesis, crystal structures, and luminescent properties of a series of new lanthanide oxalatophosphonates with a layer architecture

Eleven new lanthanide oxalatophosphonate hybrids with a 2D layered structures, namely, [Ln(H(3)L)(C(2)O(4))]·2H(2)O (Ln = La-Dy, Er and Y, H(4)L = C(6)H(5)CH(2)N(CH(2)PO(3)H(2))(2)), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and structurally characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction, X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. Compounds 1-11 are isomorphous and they exhibit a 2D framework structure. Two {LnO(8)} polyhedra and four {CPO(3)} tetrahedra are interconnected into a unit via corner-sharing, and the so-built units are bridged by the oxalate anions into a layer. The result of connections in this manner is the formation of a 24-atom window. The thermal stabilities and guest desorption-sorption properties of compounds 1-11 have been investigated. The luminescent properties of compounds 5, 6, 8 and 9 have also been studied.     

Synthesis, structures and properties of a new series of platinum-diimine-dithiolate complexes

The new square-planar platinum-diimine-dithiolate compounds [Pt(mesBIAN)SS] have been synthesised {mesBIAN = bis(mesityl)biazanaphthenequinone; SS = 1,2-dithiooxalate (dto) , maleonitriledithiolate (mnt) , 1,2-benzenedithiolate (bdt) , 3,4-toluenedithiolate (tdt) and 1,3-dithia-2-thione-4,5-dithiolate (dmit) }, and the X-ray crystal structures of and determined. Cyclic voltammetry reveals that all the compounds form stable anions, and ESR spectroscopy of these anions shows that the SOMO is based upon the mesBIAN ligand; compounds also show a reversible oxidation wave in their CV. Computational studies reveal that charge-transfer processes from orbitals that are combinations of metal and dithiolate ligand to a mesBIAN pi-based LUMO are responsible for the low energy absorptions seen in the UV/visible spectra of these compounds, and that the reverse process is responsible for the observed room-temperature solution luminescence of [Pt(mesBIAN)Cl(2)] and , and . Compounds and , containing aromatic thiolates, were not found to luminesce under the same conditions. Resonance Raman experiments have shown the origin of band-broadening of the lowest-energy absorption band in the absorption spectra of to be due to vibronic structure within one electronic transition.     

Di- and tetranuclear metal complexes with phenoxo bridges: synthesis, structures, and photoluminescent and electroluminescent properties

Dinuclear and tetranuclear copper 2,6-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)pyridine (H(2)L) complexes Cu2(L)2(py)2 (1) and Cu4(L)4(DMF) (2) were synthesized. The complexes 1 and 2 were characterized by elemental analyses, mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n with a = 13.330(2) Angstroms, b = 9.361(1) Angstroms, c = 14.676(1) Angstroms, beta = 100.94(1) degrees, V = 1798.1(3) Angstroms(3), and Z = 2. 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n with a = 13.360(1) Angstroms, b = 14.884(1) Angstroms, c = 15.462(2) Angstroms, beta = 97.50(4) degrees, V = 3048.4(1) Angstroms(3), and Z = 2. Tetranuclear zinc complex Zn4(L)4(py)4 (3) was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction. 3 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P with a = 13.770(1) Angstroms, b = 15.465(1) A, c = 16.409(2) Angstroms, alpha = 88.877(9) degrees, beta = 88.035(4) degrees, gamma = 82.956(3) degrees, V = 3465.6(5) Angstroms(3), and Z = 2. The di- and tetranuclear complexes 1-3contain phenoxo bridges. 1 is a dinuclear complex with two Cu(II) centers, two py ligands, and two L ligands, and each L ligand donates its pyridyl ring and one of the phenolate groups to one metal and shares the other phenolate group between both metals, affording a Cu(2)(mu-O)(2) core. 2, in contrast, is a tetranuclear complex with four Cu(II) centers and four L ligands. Two of the L ligands have the same coordination mode as 1, and the other two L ligands donate their pyridyl rings to one metal and share both phenolate groups between four metals, resulting in three four-membered Cu2(mu-O)2 rings, which joined each other and showed great distortion from planarity. 3 is a tetranuclear complex with four Zn(II) centers, four pyridine ligands, and four L ligands, and the L ligands have the same coordination modes as those of 2. Single-crystal X-ray analysis showed that hydrogen-bonding and pi-pi stacking interactions exist in complexes 1 and 2 resulting in two- and three-dimensional molecular arrangements, and the parallel arrangement of the ligand in the crystal of complex 3 resulted in a close inter- and intramolecular pi-pi interactions. Investigation of the crystals, as well as an amorphous thin film and powder of 3, by photoluminescence (PL) allowed the effect of the molecular packing on the emission properties to be elucidated. Furthermore, the electroluminescent (EL) properties of 3 were examined by fabricating a multilayer device with structure of [ITO/NPB/(ZnL)(n)/Alq3/LiF/Al] (NPB = N,N'-bis(alpha-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenyl-(1,1'-biphenyl)-4,4'-diamine, Alq3 = tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum).     

The organic ligands as template: the synthesis, structures and properties of a series of the layered structure rare-earth coordination polymers

A series of new 2D-layered structural rare-earth coordination polymers with the general formal [Ln(C₈H₄O₅)(H₂O)₅]·(H₂O)·(C₈H₄O₅)_1/2 (Ln=Eu for (1); Gd for (2); Tb for (3); Dy for (4); and Er for (5)) have been yielded by hydrothermal synthesis. The coordination polymers crystallize in monoclinic space group C/2c with a=19.838(16), b=10.529(8), c=17.752(14) Å, β=107.503(14)° for (1), with a=19.823(7), b=10.552(4), c=17.762(6) Å, β=107.443(6)° for (2), with a=19.770(4), b=10.519(2), c=17.698(4) Å, β=107.52(3)° for (3), with a=19.632(2), b=10.492(2), c=17.617(3) Å, β=107.470(12)° for (4), with a=19.648(7), b=10.480(3), c=17.598(6) Å, β=107.502(6)° for (5), respectively. And the metal ions (Ln³⁺) are located in nine-member coordination environment. The carboxyl groups from 5-hydroxyisophthalate chelate the metal ions to form 1D helical cation chains. It is interesting that these helical cation chains are arranged to form 2D anion–cation layers by the uncoordinated ligands' anions as template. And the luminescence properties of the rare-earth ions are studied in the paper.     

A new and efficient method for the synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine-2,5-diones

A newly found reaction for the synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted 1-hydroxy-pyrrolidine-2,5-diones from 3-substituted coumarins and nitromethane has been elaborated. The reaction involved a simple and convenient experimental procedure. The applicability of the rearrangement reaction is determined.     

1,3,6,8-Tetraazapyrenes: synthesis, solid-state structures, and properties as redox-active materials

A series of new tetraazapyrene (TAPy) derivatives has been synthesized by reducing 1,4,5,8-tetranitronaphthalene to its corresponding tin salt (I) and reacting it with perfluorinated alkyl or aryl anhydrides. The resulting 2,7-disubstituted TAPy molecules and the known parent compound 1,3,6,8-tetraazapyrene (II) have been further derivatized by core chlorination and bromination. The brominated compounds served as starting materials for Suzuki cross-coupling reactions with electron-poor arylboronic acids. Single-crystal X-ray analyses established polymorphism for some TAPy compounds. The ground-state geometries of all new TAPy derivatives were modeled with DFT methods [B3PW91/6-31 g(d,p) and B3PW91/6-311+g(d,p)], especially focusing on the energies of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and the electron affinities (EA) of the molecules. The results of the calculations were confirmed experimentally by cyclic voltammetry to evaluate the substitution effects at the 2 and 7 position and the core positions, respectively, and gave LUMO energy levels that range from -3.57 to -4.14 eV. Fabrication of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) with several of these tetraazapyrenes established their potential as organic n-type semiconductors.