Photochromic Dithienylethene‐Containing Boron(III) Ketoiminates: Modulation of Photo‐Responsive Behavior through Variation of Intramolecular Motion

A series of dithienylethene‐containing boron(III) ketoiminates, as well as their corresponding β‐ketoimine ligands, have been synthesized and characterized. The photophysical, electrochemical, and photochromic properties of the compounds have been studied. Photocyclization has been found to be suppressed upon introduction of a phenyl substituent on the nitrogen atom of the β‐ketoiminate core, whereas photochromism could be observed by replacement of the phenyl substituent with a bulky mesityl group. It is believed that the steric effect of the mesityl unit restricts molecular rotation, resulting in such a prominent difference in the photochromic properties.     

Syntheses and Photophysical Properties of N‐Pyridylimidazol‐2‐ylidene Tetracyanoruthenates(II) and Photochromic Studies of Their Dithienylethene‐Containing Derivatives

A series of tetracyanoruthenate(II) with chelating pyridyl N‐heterocyclic carbene ligands (NHC‐py) was synthesized and characterized. Their photophysical and electrochemical properties as well as the photochromic behavior of their dithienylethene‐containing complexes were studied. Photocyclization was found to take place upon irradiation into the metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer (MLCT) absorption bands of these complexes, and evidence is provided to support the triplet‐sensitizing reaction pathway.     

Tunable Photochromism in the Robust Dithienylethene‐Containing Phospholes: Design,Synthesis, Characterization,Electrochemistry, Photophysics,and Photochromic Studies

A series of dithienylethene‐containing phosphole derivatives has been designed, synthesized and characterized. One of the compounds has been characterized by X‐ray crystallography. Upon photoexcitation, the compounds exhibit drastic color changes, ascribed to the reversible photochromic behavior. Their photochromic, photophysical and electrochemical properties have been studied. They show photochromic reactivities with high photocyclization quantum yields. Their photophysical and photochromic properties are found to be facilely tuned in this system by substitution at the phosphole backbone, as well as variation on the extent of π‐conjugation of the phosphole backbone. Some selected compounds have been demonstrated to exhibit photochromic properties in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) films.     

Efficient NIR‐Light Emission from Solid‐State Complexes of Boron Difluoride with 2′‐Hydroxychalcone Derivatives

This article describes a series of nine complexes of boron difluoride with 2′‐hydroxychacone derivatives. These dyes were synthesized very simply and exhibited intense NIR emission in the solid state. Complexation with boron was shown to impart very strong donor–acceptor character into the excited state of these dyes, which further shifted their emission towards the NIR region (up to 855 nm for dye 5 b , which contained the strongly donating triphenylamine group). Strikingly, these optical features were obtained for crystalline solids, which are characterized by high molecular order and tight packing, two features that are conventionally believed to be detrimental to luminescence in organic crystals. Remarkably, the emission of light from the π‐stacked molecules did not occur at the expense of the emission quantum yield. Indeed, in the case of pyrene‐containing dye 4 , for example, a fluorescence quantum yield of about 15 % with a fluorescence emission maximum at 755 nm were obtained in the solid state. Moreover, dye 3 a and acetonaphthone‐based compounds 1 b , 2 b , and 3 b showed no evidence of degradation as solutions in CH₂Cl₂ that contained EtOH. In particular, solutions of brightly fluorescent compound 3 a (brightness: ε×Φ_f=45 000 M ^?1 cm^?1) could be stored for long periods without any detectable changes in its optical properties. All together, these new dyes possess a set of very interesting properties that make them promising solid‐state NIR fluorophores for applications in materials science.     

Deep Red to Near‐Infrared Emitting Rhenium(I) Complexes: Synthesis,Characterization, Electrochemistry,Photophysics, and Electroluminescence Studies

A series of triarylamine‐containing tricarbonyl rhenium(I) complexes, [BrRe(CO)₃(N^N)] (N^N=5,5′‐bis(N,N‐diaryl‐4‐[ethen‐1‐yl]‐aniline)‐2,2′‐bipyridine), has been designed and synthesized by introducing a rhenium(I) metal center into a donor‐π‐acceptor‐π‐donor structure. All of the complexes showed an intense broad structureless emission band in dichloromethane at around 680–708 nm, which originated from an excited state of intraligand charge transfer (³ILCT) character from the triarylamine to the bipyridine moiety. Upon introduction of the bulky and electron‐donating pentaphenylbenzene units attached to the aniline groups, the emission bands were found to be red shifted. The nanosecond transient absorption spectra of two selected complexes were studied, which were suggestive of the formation of an initial charge‐separated state. Computational studies have been performed to provide further insight into the origin of the absorption and emission. One of the rhenium(I) complexes has been utilized in the fabrication of organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs), representing the first example of the realization of deep red to near‐infrared rhenium(I)‐based OLEDs with an emission extending up to 800 nm.     

Cr3+:SrGa12O19: A Broadband Near‐Infrared Long‐Persistent Phosphor

Cr³⁺‐doped SrGa₁₂O₁₉ is demonstrated to be a broadband near‐infrared (650–950 nm) long‐persistent phosphor whose luminescence can last for more than 2 h after ultraviolet irradiation is stopped. Detailed analysis of the photoluminescence and thermoluminescence spectra and of the persistent decay behavior of the Cr³⁺‐doped SrGa₁₂O₁₉ samples indicate that the persistent energy transfer from the SrGa₁₂O₁₉ host to the Cr³⁺ ions and the filling and release of electrons into and from the shallow and deep traps through the conduction band is responsible for the long‐persistent phosphorescence.     

Unprecedented Sensitization of Visible and Near‐Infrared Lanthanide Luminescence by Using a Tetrathiafulvalene‐Based Chromophore

Ligand L was synthesized and then coordinated to [Ln(hfac)₃] ? 2 H₂O (Ln^III=Tb, Dy, Er; hfac^?=1,1,1,5,5,5‐hexafluoroacetylacetonate anion) and [Ln(tta)₃]?2 H₂O (Ln^III=Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Yb; tta^?=2‐thenoyltrifluoroacetonate) to give two families of dinuclear complexes [Ln₂(hfac)₆( L )] ? C₆H₁₄ and [Ln₂(tta)₆( L )] ? 2 CH₂Cl₂. Irradiation of the ligand at 37 040 cm^?1 and 29 410 cm^?1 leads to tetrathiafulvalene‐centered and 2,6‐di(pyrazol‐1‐yl)‐4‐pyridine‐centered fluorescence, respectively. The ligand acts as an organic chromophore for the sensitization of the infrared Er^III (6535 cm^?1) and Yb^III (10 200 cm^?1) luminescence. The energies of the singlet and triplet states of L are high enough to guarantee an efficient sensitization of the visible Eu^III luminescence (17 300–14 100 cm^?1). The Eu^III luminescence decay can be nicely fitted by a monoexponential function that allows a lifetime estimation of (0.49±0.01) ms. Finally, the magnetic and luminescence properties of [Yb₂(hfac)₆( L )] ? C₆H₁₄ were correlated, which allowed the determination of the crystal field splitting of the ²F_7/2 multiplet state with M_J=±1/2 as ground states.     

3-烷基/对烷氧基苯基-3-羟基-联茚满烯二酮衍生物的合成，晶体结构与固态光致变色及光致自由基性质研究

本文合成了一系列3-烷基/对烷氧基苯基-3-羟基-联茚满烯二酮新化合物,并通过¹H NMR, IR, MS 和元素分析数据进行了结构表征,其中化合物1,5,6的结构通过单晶X-Ray衍射进行了确证。分别用固体紫外光谱和电子自旋共振光谱研究了化合物的光致变色性能和光致自由基性质,结果表明：该类化合物在200W高压水银灯光源照射下产生光致变色现象,同时具有光致自由基性质。本文还根据分子结构和及分子内的作用力讨论了性质与结构之间的关系。     

Photochromic properties of η6‐2H‐chromene chromium tricarbonyl complexes

In the 2H‐chromene series, complexation of the aromatic ring with chromium tricarbonyl, under thermal conditions, is totally regioselective even when aromatic substituents are introduced on the pyran ring. The complexation stabilizes the open form of these photochromic compounds and reduces the thermal bleaching kinetic constant. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lanthanoid/Alkali Metal β‐Triketonate Assemblies: A Robust Platform for Efficient NIR Emitters

The reaction of hydrated lanthanoid chlorides with tribenzoylmethane and an alkali metal hydroxide consistently resulted in the crystallization of neutral tetranuclear assemblies with the general formula [Ln(Ae ? HOEt)( L )₄]₂ (Ln=Eu³⁺, Er³⁺, Yb³⁺; Ae=Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺). Analysis of the crystal structures of these species revealed a coordination geometry that varied from a slightly distorted square antiprism to a slightly distorted triangular dodecahedron, with the specific geometrical shape being dependent on the degree of lattice solvation and identity of the alkali metal. The near‐infrared (NIR)‐emitting assemblies of Yb³⁺ and Er³⁺ showed remarkably efficient emission, characterized by significantly longer excited‐state lifetimes (τ_obs≈37–47 μs for Yb³⁺ and τ_obs≈4–6 μs for Er³⁺) when compared with the broader family of lanthanoid β‐diketonate species, even in the case of perfluorination of the ligands. The Eu³⁺ assemblies show bright red emission and a luminescence performance (τ_obs≈0.5 ms, ${{\Phi}{{{\rm L}\hfill \atop {\rm Ln}\hfill}}}$ ≈35–37 %, η_sens≈68–70 %) more akin to the β‐diketonate species. The results highlight that the β‐triketonate ligand offers a tunable and facile system for the preparation of efficient NIR emitters without the need for more complicated perfluorination or deuteration synthetic strategies.     

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.     

The First Europium(III) β‐Diketonate Complex Functionalized Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane

The first europium(III) β‐diketonate complex functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) has been obtained by immobilization of such a complex at a silicon vertex of the POSS cage through the complexation of Eu³⁺ ions with thenoyltrifluoroacetone‐functionalized POSS. The new molecular hybrid material is liquid at room temperature, and shows bright‐red emission when irradiated with UV light due to energy transfer from the thenoyltrifluoroacetone ligand to the coordinated Eu³⁺ ions. Thermal analysis has revealed a significant improvement in the thermal stability of the material compared with tris(2‐thenoyltrifluoroacetonate)europium(III) dihydrate, [Eu(TTA)₃] ? 2 H₂O. In the context of recent advances in printable electronic technology, this novel luminescent organic liquid with the characteristic emission of Eu³⁺ may potentially be useful in the development of next‐generation organic devices such as flexible displays.     

Near‐Infrared Responsive Conjugated Polymers to 1.5 μm and Beyond: Synthesis and Electrochromic Switching Application

Azulene‐containing conjugated polymers with near‐infrared absorption up to 1.5 μm and beyond are achieved by treating with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the near‐infrared absorption arises from a strong intramolecular charge transfer transition on the polymer backbone, and the near‐infrared absorption can be tuned by the degree of protonation. Furthermore, TFA treated polymers show a ten‐fold enhancement in electrochromic contrast and significantly improved switching stability, suggesting that these polymers are promising candidates for fabrication of the first generation organic near‐infrared devices.     

Stacking‐Induced Diamagnetic/Paramagnetic Conversion of Imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridin‐2(3 H)‐one Derivatives: Near‐Infrared Absorption and Magnetic Properties in the Solid State

Herein, we present three imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridin‐2(3 H)‐one derivatives that are diamagnetic in solution, but paramagnetic in the solid state, possibly owing to a stacking‐induced formation of phenoxide‐type radicals. Notably, a larger bathochromic shift of the absorption (even up to the near‐ infrared region) of these three compounds was observed in the solid state than in solution, which was attributable to the ordered columnar stacking arrangements or their single‐electron character as radicals in the solid state. Interestingly, compared to that in solution, (E)‐3‐(pyridin‐4′‐ylmethylene)imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridine 2(3 H)‐one displayed a largely red‐shifted emission (centered at 660 nm, with tailing above 800 nm) in the solid state. A larger bathochromic shift (260 nm) of the emission is an indication of better order and tight stacking in the solid state, which is brought about by the rigid and polar acceptor. These three compounds also reveal different magnetic susceptibilities at 300 K, thus implying that they possess various columnar stacking structures. Most interestingly, these three radicals exhibit unusual ferromagnetic‐to‐antiferromagnetic phase transitions, which can be attributed to anisotropic contraction and non‐uniform slippage of the columnar stacking chains.     

Ytterbium(III) Porpholactones: β‐Lactonization of Porphyrin Ligands Enhances Sensitization Efficiency of Lanthanide Near‐Infrared Luminescence

The near‐infrared (NIR) luminescence efficiency of lanthanide complexes is largely dependent on the electronic and photophysical properties of antenna ligands. Although porphyrin ligands are efficient sensitizers of lanthanide NIR luminescence, non‐pyrrolic porphyrin analogues, which have unusual symmetry and electronic states, have been much less studied. In this work, we used porpholactones, a class of β‐pyrrolic‐modified porphyrins, as ligands and investigated the photophysical properties of lanthanide porpholactones Yb‐1 a – 5 a . Compared with Yb porphyrin complexes, the porpholactone complexes displayed remarkable enhancement of NIR emission (50–120 %). Estimating the triplet‐state levels of porphyrin and porpholactone in Gd complexes revealed that β‐lactonization of porphyrinic ligands lowers the ligand T₁ state and results in a narrow energy gap between this state and the lowest excited state of Yb³⁺. Transient absorption spectra showed that Yb^III porpholactone has a longer transient decay lifetime at the Soret band than the porphyrin analogue (30.8 versus 17.0 μs). Thus, the narrower energy gap and longer lifetime arising from β‐lactonization are assumed to enhance NIR emission of Yb porpholactones. To demonstrate the potential applications of Yb porpholactone, a water‐soluble Yb bioprobe was constructed by conjugating glucose to Yb ‐ 1 a . Interestingly, the NIR emission of this Yb porpholactone could be specifically switched on in the presence of glucose oxidase and then switched off by addition of glucose. This is the first demonstration that non‐pyrrolic porphyrin ligands enhance the sensitization efficiency of lanthanide luminescence and also display switchable NIR emission in the region of biological analytes (800–1400 nm).     

Light Harvesting and Efficient Energy Transfer in Dendritic Systems: New Strategy for Functionalized Near‐Infrared BF2‐Azadipyrromethenes

Bright funnels : A series of dendritic systems, which are capable of funneling energy from the periphery to the core, have been synthesized. The photophysical properties of dendrimers have been determined. Selective excitation of the donor leads to an efficient energy transfer (>90 %) to the acceptor. The approach provides a facile synthesis for the modification of near‐infrared BF₂‐Azadipyrromethenes.