Donor–acceptor (donor) polymers with differently conjugated side groups at the acceptor units for photovoltaics

Four new donor–acceptor (donor) [D–A(D)], PBDT‐PTQ, PBDT‐PTTQ, PBDT‐TQ, and PBDT‐TTQ, bearing the same backbone of alternative benzodithiophene (BDT) and quinoxaline units but with phenylene thienyl, phenylene di‐thienyl, thienyl and di‐thienyl groups (other donors), respectively, at the acceptor quinoxaline units, were designed and synthesized to investigate the impacts of the conjugated side chains at the acceptor units on the photovoltaic properties of polymers. The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on PBDT‐TQ:[6,6]‐phenyl‐C‐70‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) and PBDT‐PTQ:PC70BM reach to 4.39 and 3.58%, respectively, which are 43 and 17% higher, respectively, than that of a reported alkylphenyl substituted polymer with the same main chain. However, the PCEs based on PBDT‐TTQ and PBDT‐PTTQ, in which an additional thiophene is added at a side chain of PBDT‐TQ and PBDT‐PTQ, respectively, decline. The mechanism how the conjugated side chains affect the performance of the PSCs is also discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

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.     

Donor–acceptor diethynylsilane oligomers: A second‐order nonlinear optical material

The interest in the study of oligomers has been motivated mainly because of their solubility in common solvents and also their capacity to be crystallized, which allowed for chemical processing leading to important applications in the area of material sciences. In this work, we carried out an investigation of polydiethynylsilane (PDES) decamers substituted with electron donor (D) and acceptor (A) groups, which is certainly of relevance, once PDES itself is known to display large third‐order optical susceptibility. Therefore, density functional theory calculations of static first hyperpolarizability (β) were performed using various functionals with the 6‐31G(d) basis set along with correlated MP2 calculation used as reference for comparison. The influence of A and D substituents on the magnitude of β was investigated by matching the acceptor (dicyanovinyl, nitrobenzene) and donor (propyl, propoxy, and phenylamine) groups attached at both ends of the oligomer. The largest β value was predicted for the derivative having the phenylamine and dicyanovinyl groups, which is around 30 times the relative value for the nonsubstituted decamer, what is a very impressive enhancement reported for the first time in the literature, strongly suggesting that disubstituted diethynylsilane decamers are potential building blocks for molecular‐based materials with second‐order nonlinear responses. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1410–1419, 2011     

Donor–acceptor copolymers based on phenanthrene as electron‐donating unit: Synthesis and photovoltaic performances

Using 9,10‐bis(dodecyloxy)phenanthrene as electron‐donating unit and 4,7‐dithienyl‐5,6‐bis(dodecyloxy)benzothiadiazole, 4,7‐dithienyl‐5,6‐bis(octyloxy)benzoxadiazole, 5,8‐dithienyl‐2,3‐bis(para‐octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline, and 5,8‐dithienyl‐2,3‐bis(meta‐octyloxyphenyl)quinoxaline as electron‐accepting unit, four D–A copolymers PPA‐DTBT , PPA‐DTBX , PPA‐ p ‐DTQ , and PPA‐ m ‐DTQ , respectively, were successfully synthesized as new polymeric donors for photovoltaic cells. All the alternating copolymers can show two absorption bands, both in solutions and thin films. The optical bandgaps of the polymers are quite close, which are between 1.93 and 2.00 eV. The HOMO and LUMO levels of the polymers are also comparable of ?5.52 ± 0.03 eV and ?3.57 ± 0.03 eV, respectively. Thus, using the dialkoxyphenanthrene as the D unit could afford D–A copolymers with deep‐lying HOMO levels, which would be an important factor to achieve high open‐circuit voltages (V_oc) in bulk‐heterojunction solar cells. With the copolymers as the donor and PC₇₁BM as the acceptor, the resulting solar cells could display good V_oc between 0.86 and 0.88 V. Among the four copolymers, PPA‐DTBT containing the dialkoxybenzothiadiazole unit showed the best power conversion efficiency of 3.03% because of its relatively higher hole mobility and better phase separation. The results suggest that dialkoxyphenanthrene is a valuable electron‐donating unit in the constructions of D–A copolymers for efficient solar cells with high V_oc. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4966–4974     

A barium perchlorate complex with a lateral macrobicycle derived from 4,13‐diaza‐18‐crown‐6 containing a pyridine Schiff base spacer

In the crystal structure of (perchlorato‐κ²O,O′))(28,31,36,39tetraoxa‐1,9,17,25,42‐penta­aza­penta­cyclo­[23.8.5.1^11,15.0^3,8.0^18,23]­nonatriaconta‐3,5,7,9,11,13,15,16,18,20,22‐un­decaene‐κ⁸N¹,N⁹, N¹⁷,N⁴²,O²⁸,O³¹,O³⁶,O³⁹)­barium(II) perchlorate, [Ba(ClO₄)(C₃₃H₄₁N₅O₄)](ClO₄), the Ba^II cation is situated in the macrobicyclic cavity, bound to only eight of the nine available donor atoms of the Schiff base macrobicyclic receptor. The pivotal N5 atom does not belong to the coordination sphere of the Ba^II ion, in spite of its endo conformation with the lone pair directed towards the inside of the cavity. The Ba^II ion completes its coordination core with two O atoms of one bidentate perchlorate group.     

Synthesis and polymerization of a new nitrogen‐containing bis‐ortho‐diynylarene monomer

This study focuses on the preparation, characterization, and optical properties of new bis(3,4‐diphenylethynylphenyl)phenylamine. This is the first nitrogen‐containing bis‐ortho‐diynylarene (BODA) monomer having a nitrogen atom as the spacer group. BODA monomers are usually prepared from common bisphenols, thereby providing great synthetic versatility and the opportunity to develop a wide array of novel polyarylene thermosets by varying the aromatic spacer group. The new bis(3,4‐bisphenylethynylphenyl)phenylamine was synthesized in five steps. This compound emits an intense blue color (λ = 438 nm) upon irradiation by UV light and may be suitable for use as an emitting layer in electroluminescent devices. Bis‐(3,4‐bisphenylethynylphenyl)phenylamine and its polymer have photoluminescence quantum yields 34 and 38%, respectively, and long excited‐state lifetimes of 3.2 and 3.6 ns, respectively. The structure of the monomer and its polymer were characterized using spectroscopic techniques including Ultraviolet–visible Spectrophotometer, Photoluminescence Spectrophotometer, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, and Gel Permeation Chromatography. The polymerizations were studied by Differential Scanning Calorimeter. The amount of weight loss and the thermostability of the nitrogen‐containing polymer were determined from thermogravimetric analysis. The electrical conductivity of neat HCl‐doped BODA‐derived polymer film was measured according to the standard four‐point probe technique. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6988–6996, 2006     

Donor–acceptor conjugated copolymers incorporating tetrafluorobenzene as the π‐electron deficient unit

We present the synthesis and characterization of a new family of perfectly alternating conjugated polymers, obtained through different methodologies (Stille, Direct Arylation, and Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons polymerizations). The polymers comprise either 2,5‐dialkoxybenzene or benzodithiophene electron rich units, and 1,2,4,5‐tetrafluorobenzene as the electron‐deficient unit, eventually separated by a vinylene bridge, if suitable monomers and HWE polymerization procedures are used. As shown by NMR spectroscopy, the introduction of the fluorinated aromatic units brings complications in the polymer stereodefinition in the HWE polymerization, and regiodefinition in the case of the Direct Arylation. The polymers show moderate degrees of polymerization (up to 10 repeating alternating units in the backbone), which are however significant enough to unravel interesting properties such as energy HOMO–LUMO gaps and aggregation behavior in solution at room temperature. In depth calculations fully confirmed the aggregation tendency, highlighting the key role of the benzodithiophene as the donor component when in combination with the tetrafluorobenzene unit. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 1601–1610     

Multichromic benzimidazole‐containing polymers: Comparison of donor and acceptor unit effects

This study reports a comparative study on electrochromic properties of two donor–acceptor–donor (DAD)‐type polymers namely poly(2‐heptyl‐4,7‐di(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1H‐benzo [d]imidazole) (BImTh) and poly(4,7‐bis(2,3‐dihydrothieno[3,4‐b] [1,4]dioxin‐5‐yl)‐2‐heptyl‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazole) (BImEd). DAD‐type monomers were polymerized electrochemically on indium tin oxide‐coated glass slides to determine the optical properties of the polymers. Electrochemical p‐doping experiments were performed to determine the band gap and absorption band values of the polymer films at different redox states. Polymerization of BImTh and BImEd yields multichromic polymers. Donor and acceptor effects are studied by comparing the PBImEd and PBImTh with corresponding benzotriazole derivatives. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

The syntheses of nitrogen‐oxygen donor macrocycles containing pyridine ring

Five new nitrogen‐oxygen mixed donor macrocycles have been prepared by condensation of 2,6‐bis [(2‐formylphenyl)oxymethyl]pyridine with different diamino compounds in hot methanol, followed by a one‐pot reduction of the intermediate bis‐Schiff base. All the macrocycles were identified by elemental analysis, and ir, uv, and nmr spectroscopy.     

Donor–acceptor photovoltaic polymers based on 1,4‐dithienyl‐2,5‐dialkoxybenzene with intramolecular noncovalent interactions

Donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers bearing non‐covalent configurationally locked backbones have a high potential to be good photovoltaic materials. Since 1,4‐dithienyl‐2,5‐dialkoxybenzene ( TBT ) is a typical moiety possessing intramolecular S…O interactions and thus a restricted planar configuration, it was used in this work as an electron‐donating unit to combine with the following electron‐accepting units: 3‐fluorothieno[3,4‐b]thiophene ( TFT ), thieno‐[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐4,6‐dione ( TPD ), and diketopyrrolopyrrole ( DPP ) for the construction of such D–A conjugated polymers. Therefore, the so‐designed three polymers, PTBTTFT , PTBTTPD , and PTBTDPP , were synthesized and investigated on their basic optoelectronic properties in detail. Moreover, using [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₇₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) as acceptor material, polymer solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated for studying photovoltaic performances of these polymers. It was found that the optimized PTBTTPD cell gave the best performance with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.49%, while that of PTBTTFT displayed the poorest one (PCE = 1.96%). The good photovoltaic behaviors of PTBTTPD come from its lowest‐lying energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) among the three polymers, and good hole mobility and favorable morphology for its PC₇₁BM‐blended film. Although PTBTDPP displayed the widest absorption spectrum, the largest hole mobility, and regular chain packing structure when blended with PC₇₁BM, its unmatched HOMO energy level and disfavored blend film morphology finally limited its solar cell performance to a moderate level (PCE: 3.91%). © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 689–698     

Dithienobenzimidazole‐containing conjugated donor–acceptor polymers: Synthesis and characterization

The synthesis of two new conjugated polymers based on the relatively under‐exploited monomer, 5,8‐dibromo‐2‐[5‐(2‐hexyldecyl)‐2‐thienyl]‐1H‐dithieno[3,2‐e:2′,3′‐g]benzimidazole (dithienobenzimidazole, DTBI ), and either 4,7‐bis[4‐hexyl‐5‐(trimethylstannyl)‐2‐thienyl]‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole ( BTD ) or 2,6‐bis(trimethylstannyl)‐4,8‐bis(5‐(2‐ethylhexyl) thiophen‐2‐yl)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene ( BDT ) is described. The polymers were synthesized via Stille polycondensation and characterized by traditional methods (¹H NMR, gel‐permeation chromatography, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and cyclic voltammetry). Prior to their synthesis, trimer structures were modeled by DFT calculations facilitating a further understanding of the systems' electronic and geometric structure. Polymers were titrated with acid and base to take advantage of their amphiprotic imidazole moiety and their optical response monitored with ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. Finally, pristine polymer thin‐films were treated with acid and base to evaluate (de)protonation's effect on system electronics, but thin‐film degradation was encountered. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 60–69     

Time‐resolved spectroscopy study of donor–acceptor‐type copolymers in a monodisperse system: The effect of ratio between the acceptor and the donor

The photoexcitation processes of two donor–acceptor‐type copolymers PCFBT with different ratios between the donor and the acceptor ( PCFBT_0.5 and PCFBT_0.1 ) in the solution system are systematically studied. If the number of the donor is equal to that of the acceptor in one repeat unit (such as PCFBT_0.5 ), intrachain charge transfer (ICT) can occur and participate in the relaxation of the excited state after photoexcitation. When the number of donors is much larger than that of acceptors (such as PCFBT_0.1 ) in one repeat unit, the ICT character can disappear, and the localized exciton decay process is dominant in the relaxation of the copolymer, which also involves an excitation intensity‐independent vibrational thermal relaxation process at the initial time. The results further the understanding of the basic structure‐property relationship. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013 , 51, 992–996     

Cocrystals of 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil: presence of the acceptor–donor–acceptor/donor–acceptor–donor synthon

The results of seven cocrystallization experiments of the antithyroid drug 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil (MTU), C₅H₆N₂OS, with 2,4‐diaminopyrimidine, 2,4,6‐triaminopyrimidine and 6‐amino‐3H‐isocytosine (viz. 2,6‐diamino‐3H‐pyrimidin‐4‐one) are reported. MTU features an ADA (A = acceptor and D = donor) hydrogen‐bonding site, while the three coformers show complementary DAD hydrogen‐bonding sites and therefore should be capable of forming an ADA/DAD N—H...O/N—H...N/N—H...S synthon with MTU. The experiments yielded one cocrystal and six cocrystal solvates, namely 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil–2,4‐diaminopyrimidine–1‐methylpyrrolidin‐2‐one (1/1/2), C₅H₆N₂OS·C₄H₆N₄·2C₅H₉NO, (I), 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil–2,4‐diaminopyrimidine (1/1), C₅H₆N₂OS·C₄H₆N₄, (II), 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil–2,4‐diaminopyrimidine–N,N‐dimethylacetamide (2/1/2), 2C₅H₆N₂OS·C₄H₆N₄·2C₄H₉NO, (III), 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil–2,4‐diaminopyrimidine–N,N‐dimethylformamide (2/1/2), C₅H₆N₂OS·0.5C₄H₆N₄·C₃H₇NO, (IV), 2,4,6‐triaminopyrimidinium 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracilate–6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil–N,N‐dimethylformamide (1/1/2), C₄H₈N₅⁺·C₅H₅N₂OS⁻·C₅H₆N₂OS·2C₃H₇NO, (V), 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil–6‐amino‐3H‐isocytosine–N,N‐dimethylformamide (1/1/1), C₅H₆N₂OS·C₄H₆N₄O·C₃H₇NO, (VI), and 6‐methyl‐2‐thiouracil–6‐amino‐3H‐isocytosine–dimethyl sulfoxide (1/1/1), C₅H₆N₂OS·C₄H₆N₄O·C₂H₆OS, (VII). Whereas in cocrystal (I) an R₂²(8) interaction similar to the Watson–Crick adenine/uracil base pair is formed and a two‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonding network is observed, the cocrystals (II)–(VII) contain the triply hydrogen‐bonded ADA/DAD N—H...O/N—H...N/N—H...S synthon and show a one‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonding network. Although 2,4‐diaminopyrimidine possesses only one DAD hydrogen‐bonding site, it is, due to orientational disorder, triply connected to two MTU molecules in (III) and (IV).     

A neutral complex of an azino–DTDAF compound with TCNQ

In the crystal structure of the title 1:1 complex, ethyl 2‐{[5‐(ethoxy­carbonyl)‐2,3‐dihydro‐3,4‐di­methyl‐1,3‐thia­zol‐2‐yl­idene]­hydrazono}‐2,3‐di­hydro‐3,4‐di­methyl‐1,3‐thia­zole‐5‐carboxyl­ate–7,7,8,8‐tetra­cyano‐p‐quinodi­methane (1/1), C₁₆H₂₂N₄O₄S₂·C₁₂H₄N₄, the planar donor and tetra­cyano‐p‐quinodi­methane (TCNQ) mol­ecules are each located on inversion centres and are stacked alternately. The bond lengths indicate that, in this complex, the donor and acceptor are neutral, as confirmed by IR investigation.     

Ethynylene‐containing donor–acceptor alternating conjugated polymers: Synthesis and photovoltaic properties

Four ethynylene‐containing donor‐acceptor alternating conjugated polymers P1 – P4 with 2,5‐bis(dodecyloxy) substituted phenylene or carbazole as the donor unit and benzothiadiazole (BTZ) as the acceptor unit were synthesized and used as donor polymers in bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells. The optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties of these four polymers with the ethylene unit located at different positions of the polymer chains were systematically investigated. Our results demonstrated that absorption spectra and the HOMO and LUMO energy levels of polymers could be tuned by varying the position of the ethynylene unit in the polymer chains. Photovoltaic devices based on polymer/PC₇₁BM blend films spin coated from chloroform and dichlorobenzene solutions were investigated. For all four polymers, open circuit voltages (V_oc) higher than 0.8 V were obtained. P4 , with ethynylene unit between BTZ and thiophene, shows the best performance among these four polymers, with a V_oc of 0.94 V, a J_sc of 4.2 mA/cm², an FF of 0.40, and a PCE of 1.6%. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Two new two‐dimensional coordination polymers based on isophthalate and a flexible N‐donor ligand containing benzimidazole and pyridine rings: synthesis,crystal structures and a solid‐state UV–Vis study

In coordination chemistry and crystal engineering, many factors influence the construction of coordination polymers and the final frameworks depend greatly on the organic ligands used. N‐Donor ligands with diverse coordination modes and conformations have been employed to assemble metal–organic frameworks. Carboxylic acid ligands can deprotonate completely or partially when bonding to metal ions and can also act as donors or acceptors of hydrogen bonds and are thus good candidates for the construction of supramolecular architectures. Two new transition metal complexes, namely poly[diaqua(μ₄‐1,4‐bis{[1‐(pyridin‐3‐ylmethyl)‐1H‐benz[d]imidazol‐2‐yl]methoxy}benzene)bis(μ₂‐isophthalato)dicobalt(II)], [Co(C₈H₄O₄)(C₃₄H₂₈N₆O₂)_0.5(H₂O)]_n, (1), and poly[diaqua(μ₄‐1,4‐bis{[1‐(pyridin‐3‐ylmethyl)‐1H‐benz[d]imidazol‐2‐yl]methoxy}benzene)bis(μ₂‐isophthalato)dicadmium(II)], [Cd(C₈H₄O₄)(C₃₄H₂₈N₆O₂)_0.5(H₂O)]_n, have been constructed using a symmetric N‐donor ligand and a carboxylate ligand under hydrothermal conditions. X‐ray crystallographic studies reveal that complexes (1) and (2) are isostructural, both of them exhibiting three‐dimensional supramolecular architectures built by hydrogen bonds in which the coordinated water molecules serve as donors, while the O atoms of the carboxylate groups act as acceptors. Furthermore, (1) and (2) have been characterized by elemental, IR spectroscopic, powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analyses. The UV–Vis absorption spectrum of complex (1) has also been investigated.     

Synthesis of new photoresponsive polyesters containing norbornadiene moieties by the ring‐opening copolymerization of donor–acceptor norbornadiene dicarboxylic acid anhydride with donor–acceptor norbornadiene dicarboxylic acid monoglycidyl ester derivatives

The ring‐opening copolymerization of donor–acceptor norbornadiene (D–A NBD) dicarboxylic acid monoglycidyl ester derivatives with D–A NBD dicarboxylic acid anhydride was performed with tetraphenylphosphonium bromide as a catalyst in toluene to produce new norbornadiene (NBD) polyesters containing D–A NBD moieties in the main chain and in the side chain in one step in good yields. The photoisomerization of the D–A NBD moieties in these polyesters proceeded very smoothly to give the corresponding quadricyclane groups. Because these NBD polyesters contained many NBD moieties in the polymer chain, they had the highest capacity for heat storage in the D–A NBD polymers reported so far. The stored thermal energy of the irradiated polyesters was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry analysis to be approximately 150–190 J/g. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4412–4421, 2005