Functional organic single crystals for solid‐state laser applications

Because of long‐range order and high chemical purity, organic crystals have exhibit unique properties and attracted a lot of interest for application in solid‐state lasers. As optical gain materials, they exhibit high stimulated emission cross section and broad tunable wavelength emission as similar to their amorphous counterpart; moreover, high purity and high order give them superior properties such as low scattering trap densities, high thermal stability, as well as highly polarized emission. As electronic materials, they are potentially able to support high current densities, thus making it possible to realize current driven lasers. This paper mainly describes recent research progress in organic semiconductor laser crystals. The building molecules, crystal growth methods, as well as their stimulated emission characteristics related with crystal structures are introduced; in addition, the current state‐of‐the‐art in the field of crystal laser devices is reviewed. Furthermore, recent advances of crystal lasers at the nanoscale and single crystal light‐emitting transistors (LETs) are presented. Finally, an outlook and personal view is provided on the further developments of laser crystals and their applications.     

Raman spectroscopic investigations on intermolecular interactions in aggregates and crystalline forms of trans‐astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid naturally found in microbial organisms, microalgae, and many crustaceans. Its consumption has led to beneficial effects such as pigmentation of marine animals, and it favorably addresses several human health issues as a result of its high important antioxidant property. Several companies produce synthetic trans‐astaxanthin for dietary purposes in aquaculture, where it is mainly used for pigmentation. It is known that trans‐astaxanthin manifests itself as a monomer in organic solvents, as aggregates in aqueous solutions of organic solvents, or as crystalline solids. These forms display unique optical and structural properties, which have an impact on biological systems. In this work, we report on detailed Raman investigations, in conjunction with optical absorption spectroscopy, of monomer, aggregates, and crystalline forms of trans‐astaxanthin. The Raman and optical absorption spectroscopic investigations of trans‐astaxanthin aggregates were performed as a function of time, showing the formation of card‐packed aggregates after 2 h, and head‐to‐tail aggregates after 24 h in a 10% acetone–water astaxanthin solution. For the crystalline trans‐astaxanthin, a pointwise Raman mapping evidenced the presence of two distinct crystal structures. The Raman modes of these crystal structures (A and B) were correlated with the intermolecular interactions present in chloroform solvated (AXT‐Cl) and unsolvated (un‐AXT) trans‐astaxanthin single crystals. Both crystal structure A and the card‐packed aggregates have similar intermolecular π stacking interactions as AXT‐Cl. The crystal structure B and the head‐to‐tail aggregates showed linear chain features as in un‐AXT. This work also clearly demonstrates that Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool to distinguish the crystal structures present in crystalline powder of trans‐astaxanthin. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electronic structure and optical properties of crystalline strontium azide and barium azide by ab initio pseudopotential plane-wave calculations

Detailed ab initio studies on the electronic structure and optical properties of crystalline strontium azide and barium azide have been performed using density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Relaxed crystal structures compare well with experimental data. An analysis of electronic structure, charge transfer, and bond order shows that the two azides are mainly ionic compounds. Our calculated optical properties are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. The absorption spectra of the two azides show a number of absorption peaks in the fundamental absorption region. The photoconductivity spectra display a broad photocurrent response in the fundamental absorption region. The density of states of the two azides reveal the effects of the metal states on the valence electron of the azide group, and so are correlated with their thermal decomposition.     

Merocyanines based on 1,3‐indanedione: electronic structure and solvatochromism

A series of merocyanines derived from 1,3‐indanedione and heterocycles of various electron‐donating properties was studied in detail. Their solvatochromic properties were explored in a wide range of solvent polarities to reveal the dependences of their chromacity and electronic structure on the key structural parameters – the properties of a donor heterocycle and the polymethine chain length. Also the dyes were studied by NMR spectroscopy and by quantum chemical calculations, both with the semiempirical AM1 and the non‐empirical density functional theory/B3LYP method. The solvatochromic properties of the explored dyes are rather close to those of merocyanines derived from malononitrile as acceptor group. Appreciable distinctions were observed only in protic ethanol; obviously, they are connected with the formation of solvent–solute H‐bonds in the case of 1,3‐indanedione derivatives. The electron‐acceptor properties of 1,3‐indanedione were found to be somewhat stronger in comparison with those of malononitrile even in aprotic solvents, contrary to the known literature data. Analysis of the merocyanines' molecular orbitals and simulation of their electronic spectra were carried out both in vacuum and in the solvent matrix, and the absorption electronic transitions were analyzed. Static nonlinear optical properties were calculated for both the new merocyanines and the corresponding cationic and anionic cyanine dyes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Periodic density functional theory study of the high‐pressure behavior of crystalline 7,2′‐anhydro‐β‐d‐arabinosylorotidine

In this work, a detailed study of the structural, electronic, and absorption properties of crystalline 7,2′‐anhydro‐β‐d ‐arabinosylorotidine (Cyclo ara‐O) in the pressure range of 0–350 GPa is performed by density functional theory calculations. The detail analysis of the crystal with increasing pressure shows that complex transformations occur in Cyclo ara‐O under compression. In addition, the b‐direction is much stiffer than the a‐ and c‐axis at 0–330 GPa, suggesting that the Cyclo ara‐O crystal is anisotropic in the certain pressure region. In the pressure range of 110–290 GPa, repeated formations and disconnections of covalent bonds in O7–O6* and C3–C6* occur several times, resulting in a new six‐atom ring that forms at 220, 270, and 290 GPa, while a five‐atom ring and seven‐atom ring form between two adjacent molecules at 300 and 340 GPa, respectively. Then, the analysis of the band gap and DOS (PDOS) of Cyclo ara‐O indicates that its electronic character has changed at 300 GPa into an excellent insulator, but the electron transition is much easier at 350 GPa. Moreover, the relatively high optical activity with the pressure increases of Cyclo ara‐O is seen from the absorption spectra, and two obvious structural transformations are also observed at 180 and 230 GPa, respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A single‐crystal Raman and infrared study of the nonlinear optical crystal MBANP

Single‐crystal Raman and polycrystalline thin‐film infrared measurements have been obtained for the polar organic nonlinear optical material 2‐(α‐methylbenzylamino)‐5‐nitropyridine (MBANP). For comparison, thin‐film polycrystalline infrared measurements were also made on 2‐(α‐methylbenzylamino)‐3,5‐dinitropyridine (MBADNP). The long wavelength electronic absorption was measured in several solvents and as a thin solid film. The Raman spectra are dominated by three intense bands attributed to vibrations of the ring, the NO₂ substituent, and the N H bond. The most intense scattering and absorption arose from the α_bb component of the polarisability tensor. This implies that the most significant contribution to the transition polarisability arises from the electronic transition near 383 nm, polarised along the b‐axis of the crystal. The strongest bands in the infrared spectra are also associated with the same three bands, consistent with the predictions of the effective conjugation coordinate (ECC) theory, implying efficient electron–phonon coupling (or electronic delocalisation) in the conjugated system. DFT calculations of vibrational wavenumbers and eigenvectors were used to assign relevant vibrational features and to derive useful information about the molecular structure. This single‐crystal material is also a strong candidate for an efficient laser Raman converter with a large wavenumber shift of 3404 cm⁻¹ and a high damage threshold. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel pyridyl‐substituted coumarin and its perchlorate salt–crystal structure and spectroscopic properties

The novel pyridyl‐substituted coumarin ( 1 ) and its perchlorate salt ( 2 ) have been synthesized and their structure and properties elucidated in detail spectroscopically, thermally and structurally, using single crystal X‐ray diffraction for 2 , linear‐polarized solid state IR‐spectroscopy, UV‐spectroscopy, TGA, DSC, DTA, and positive and negative ESI MS. Quantum chemical calculations were used to obtain the electronic structure, vibrational data and electronic spectra. The studied compound crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P‐1 and exhibits an infinite layered structure with the ions linked by means of the intermolecular N⁺H…OClO₃ (2.795 Å) interactions. The cations are disposed in a manner leading to a significant π‐stacking effect with a distance of 2.980 Å. The effects of N_py protonation on the optical and magnetic properties are elucidated by comparing the data of the protonated and neutral compounds. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrazide‐based non‐symmetric liquid crystal dimers: synthesis and mesomorphic behavior

Hydrazide‐based non‐symmetric liquid crystal dimers were synthesized. The liquid crystalline properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD). These non‐symmetric liquid crystal dimers are evidenced to display the monolayer smectic C phase. The effects of the lateral intermolecular hydrogen bonding as well as the length of the terminal alkyl chains and the spacers on the mesophase are discussed. Our studies reveal that intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the hydrazide groups and microsegregation effect is the driving force for the formation of the monolayer smectic C structure. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Density functional study of α–β phase transition of polyvinylidene difluoride

We perform density functional calculations to investigate structural and dynamical properties of crystalline polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) associated with the transition from α to β phase. We examine the change of the conformational energy and the corresponding structure of each phase depending on the lattice parameters of the orthorhombic crystalline structure. From this information, we construct the path that connects the point where the α phase is most stable to the point where the β phase is most stable, and identify the sub‐ region in the lattice parameter space where α and β phases have the same energy. In this sub‐region, we locate the point which gives the lowest conformation energy for both α and β phases, and examine the behaviour of the lowest energy profile and corresponding change of intermediate structures as the conformation of the PVDF chain transforms from α phase to β phase. Finally we perform ab‐initio molecular dynamics simulations and analyse the characteristic dynamics associated with transition from α to β phase. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Liquid crystal deposition on poled, single crystalline lithium niobate

For the purpose of elucidating the mechanisms for molecular organization at poled ferroelectric surfaces, single crystalline lithium niobate (LN), ‘Z-cut’ along the (0 0 0 1) plane, has been prepared and characterized and subsequently exposed to liquid crystal molecules. As a model system we chose to study the anchoring of 4-n-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) to LN. Liquid crystalline films are of interest because of their useful electronic and optical properties as well as chemical sensing attributes. Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface contact angle measurements (CA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the surface of lithium niobate as well as the nature of 8CB films grown on the surface. Atomically flat LN surfaces were prepared as a support for monolayer thick, 8CB molecular domains. 8CB liquid crystal molecules were deposited by an ambient vaporization technique and the films were analyzed using XPS and CA. Understanding electrostatic anchoring mechanisms and thin film organization for this molecule on uniformly poled surfaces allows for a fuller appreciation of how molecular deposition of other polarizable molecules on periodically poled and patterned poled lithium niobate surfaces would occur.     

Push–pull hyperbranched molecules. A theoretical study

The electronic properties of the ground state, unrelaxed and relaxed first excited states of push–pull hyperbranched molecules bearing amino and nitro terminal groups have been studied at BB1K/cc‐pvdz//HF/6‐31g(d), TD‐BB1K/cc‐pvdz//HF/6‐31g(d) and TD‐BB1K/cc‐pvdz//CIS/6‐31g(d) levels of theory, respectively. It was demonstrated that dendritic architecture of push–pull molecules favours the charge transfer in the excited state compared to linear molecules. The possibility of adopting a plane conformation is an important condition for the charge transfer in an excited state. According to the calculations 1:1 ratio of donor and acceptor groups is another important precondition for the manifestation of strong charge separation in the excited state. In case of excess of nitro groups over the amino, some of the excitations participating in the S0 → S1 transition favour the charge transfer in the excited state in the opposite directions, thus decreasing the charge separation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of ketone and amino on the inner shell of guanine

Removal of the functional groups of guanine, i.e. ketone and amino, one by one produces model molecules of hypoxanthine, 2‐aminopurine and unsubstituted purine. The impact of the ketone and amino moieties on guanine is revealed using their atomic‐site‐based inner‐shell electronic properties and spectra. A density functional theory based model has been employed to study the model molecules. Electronic properties, such as Hirshfeld charges and inner‐shell chemical shift, are found to be both site‐dependent and moiety‐dependent. The site‐based inner‐shell chemical shift of the species exhibits a simple linear correlation, although certain similarities among the model molecules regroup the species into two pairs of purine and 2‐aminopurine, as well as hypoxanthine and guanine.     

Electronic structures of efficient MBiO_-3(M= Li,Na, K,Ag) photocatalyst

In order to deepen the understanding of the relationship between fundamental properties(including: microstructure and composition) and photocatalytic performance, four bismuthate compounds, including: LiBiO_3, NaBiO_3, KBiO_3, and AgBiO_3, are regarded as research examples in the present work, because they have particular crystal structures and similar compositions. Using density functional theory calculations, their structural, electronic, and optical properties are investigated and compared systematically. First of all, the calculated results of crystal structures and optical properties are in agreement with available published experimental data. Based on the calculated results, it is found that the tunneled or layered micro-structural properties lead to the stronger interaction between bismuth and oxygen, and the weaker interaction between alkaline-earth metal and [BiO_6] octahedron, resulting in the feature of multi-band gaps in the cases of LiBiO_3,NaBiO_3, and KBiO_3. This conclusion is supported by the case of AgBiO_3, in which the feature of multi-band gaps disappears, due to the stronger interaction between the noble metal and [BiO_6] octahedron. These properties have significant advantages in the photocatalytic performance: absorbing low energy photons, rapidly transferring energy carriers. Furthermore, the features of electronic structures of bismuthate compounds are well reflected by the absorption spectra, which could be confirmed by experimental measurements in practice. Combined with the calculated results, it could be considered that the crystal structures and compositions of the photocatalyst determine the electronic structures and optical properties,and subsequently determine the corresponding photocatalytic performance. Thus, a novel Bi-based photocatalyst driven by visible-light could be designed by utilizing specific compositions to form favorable electronic structures or specific micro-structures to form a beneficial channel for energy carriers.     

Vibrational spectra and crystal structure of the di‐amino acid peptide cyclo(L‐Met‐L‐Met): comparison of experimental data and DFT calculations

Experimental Raman and FT‐IR spectra of solid‐state non‐deuterated and N‐deuterated samples of cyclo(L ‐Met‐L ‐Met) are reported and discussed. The Raman and FT‐IR results show characteristic amide I vibrations (Raman: 1649 cm⁻¹, infrared: 1675 cm⁻¹) for molecules exhibiting a cis amide conformation. A Raman band, assigned to the cis amide II vibrational mode, is observed at ∼1493 cm⁻¹ but no IR band is observed in this region. Cyclo(L ‐Met‐L ‐Met) crystallises in the triclinic space group P1 with one molecule per unit cell. The overall shape of the diketopiperazine (DKP) ring displays a (slightly distorted) boat conformation. The crystal packing employs two strong hydrogen bonds, which traverse the entire crystal via translational repeats. B3‐LYP/cc‐pVDZ calculations of the structure of the molecule predict a boat conformation for the DKP ring, in agreement with the experimentally determined X‐ray structure. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the structure of 3‐acetylamino‐5‐methyl‐1,2,4‐oxadiazole and on the fully degenerate rearrangements (FDR) of its anion: a stimulating comparison between the results of ‘in‐silicon chemistry’ and ‘laboratory chemistry’

An accurate crystal structure determination has provided evidence for a planar conformation for 3‐acetylamino‐5‐methyl‐1,2,4‐oxadiazole ( 5 ), in agreement with quantum‐mechanical calculations in the gas phase. In the crystal, a series of strong intermolecular N7H7^….O9 hydrogen bonds link the amido groups of different molecules, causing the formation of infinite parallel ordered chains. The effect of the DMSO solvent on the energy and charge distribution of compound 5 and on its relevant 5 ^? anion, involved in a fully degenerate rearrangement (FDR), has been deepened by quantum‐mechanical DFT calculations. The calculated energy barrier for the FDR increases in going from in vacuo to DMSO, in agreement with previsions based on the Hughes and Ingold rules concerning the nucleophilic substitution of an anionic reagent (the deprotonated amido group in the side chain) on a neutral substrate (the 1,2,4‐oxadiazole ring). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Manipulating charge‐transfer character and tuning emission color with electron‐withdrawing main‐group moieties in iridium‐based electrophosphors: a theoretical investigation

A new way has been investigated for tuning the optical and electronic performance of cyclometalated iridium(III) phosphors by simple tailoring of the phenyl ring of ppy (Hppy = 2‐phenylpyridine) with various main group moieties in [Ir(ppy‐X)₂(acac)] (X = POPh₂, SO₂Ph, GePh₃, OPh, OPh(CF₃)₃, SOPh). The geometric and electronic structures of the complexes in the ground state are studied with time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) and Hartree–Fock method, whereas the lowest singlet and triplet excited states are optimized by the configuration interaction singles method. At the TD‐DFT level, absorptions and phosphorescence properties of the studied molecules were calculated on the basis of the optimized ground‐ and excited‐state geometries, respectively. The various main group moieties produce a remarkable influence on their optoelectronic properties. The calculated data reveal that the studied molecules have improved charge transfer rate and balance and can be used as hole and electron transport materials in organic light‐emitting devices. In particular, the work can provide valuable insight toward future design of new and relatively rare luminescent materials with enhanced electron‐injection and electron‐transporting features. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electronic structure calculations and optical properties of a new organic-inorganic luminescent perovskite: (C9H19NH3)2PbI2Br2

(C₉H₁₉NH₃)₂PbI₂Br₂ compound is a new crystal belonging to the large hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites compounds family. Optical properties are investigated by optical absorption UV-visible and photoluminescence (PL) techniques. Bands to band absorption peak at 2.44 eV as well as an extremely strong yellow-green photoluminescence emission at 2.17 eV is observed at room temperature. First principle calculations based on the DFT and FLAPW methods combined with LDA approximation are performed as well. Density of state close to the gap is presented and discussed in terms of optical absorption and photoluminescence experimental results. The perfect agreement between experimental data and electronic structure calculations is highlighted.     

Theoretical study of optical and electronic properties of the bis‐dipolar diphenylamino‐endcapped oligoarylfluorenes as promising light emitting materials

We present a detailed study of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of the bis‐dipolar emissive oligoarylfluorenes, OF(2)Ar‐NPhs. The aim of our quantum‐chemical calculations is to investigate the role of the transition and the influence of the optical properties of the various central aryl cores in the oligoarylfluorenes. Geometry optimizations were performed for the ground‐state and for the first electronically excited‐state. The absorption and emission spectra were calculated using time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT). The results show that the HOMO, LUMO, energy gap, ionization potentials (IP), electron affinities (EA) and reorganization energy (λ) of the oligoarylfluorenes are significantly affected by the electronic withdrawing property and the conjugated length of the central aryl core. Consistently, the stronger the electron withdrawing strength, the lower the LUMO energy is. This thus improves the electron‐accepting and transporting properties by the low LUMO energy levels. The absorption and emission spectra of this series of bis‐dipolar molecules exhibit red shifts to some extent by the electronic nature of the electron affinitive central core in the oligoarylfluorenes. All the calculated results show that the oligoarylfluorenes are promising as useful light emitting materials for OLEDs. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The structural, electronic and optical properties of CdxZn1 − xSe ternary alloys

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of Cd_xZn_1 − xSe alloys are investigated using the first-principles plane-wave pseudopotential method within the LDA approximations. In particular, the lattice constant, bulk modulus, electronic band structures, density of state, and optical properties such as dielectric functions, refractive index, extinction coefficient and energy loss function are calculated and discussed. Our results agree well with the available data in the literature.     

Theoretical study on optical and electronic properties of bis-dipolar 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives

A series of donor–π–acceptor type of 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives with ethylene as π-conjugated bridges have been designed to explore their optical and electronic properties as luminescent materials for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The frontier molecular orbital analysis turned out that the vertical electronic transitions of absorption and emission are characteristic as intramolecular charge transfer. The calculations showed that their optical and electronic behaviours are clearly affected by the aromatic substitute groups, but not significantly to the stability of molecules. The calculated results suggest that all the selected candidates are promising as luminescent materials for OLEDs.