One Fluorophore-Two Sensing Films: Hydrogen-Bond Directed Formation of a Quadruple Perylene Bisimide Stack

Elaborately designed π-stacked molecular aggregates are significant for modulation of photophysical properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Herein, a double hydrogen-bonds trussed di(pyridyl)pyrrole-perylene bisimide (HDPP-PBI) was designed and its dimerization behavior was studied. HDPP-PBI tends to form a quadruple PBI stack with a dimerization constant of ∼5.56×10⁶ M⁻¹. The dimerization was ascribed to synergistic intramolecular double hydrogen-bonds formation and intermolecular π-π stacking. Addition of CF₃COOH, a hydrogen bond blocker, promotes the dimer to monomer transition. Accordingly, two distinct fluorescent films were prepared by drop-casting of the dimerized or the monomeric HDPP-PBI onto a substrate surface. Interestingly, the less-emissive PBI quadruple stack-based film showed a turn on response to acetone vapor, while the highly emissive HDPP-PBI-based film exhibited fluorescence quenching upon exposure to triethylamine vapor. We believe that the discovered synergistic effect in the PBI aggregates would enlighten the design of new PAHs aggregates with defined structures.     

乙酸介质中构筑苝酰亚胺染料长纳米线

合成了一种带酰胺基的苝酰亚胺. 紫外-可见光谱表明, 该化合物在乙酸和体积分数大于40%的乙酸水溶液中于647 nm附近出现“黑相”的特征吸收, 苝生色团采取in-phase方式排列; 而在乙醇和体积分数小于40%的乙酸水溶液中于571 nm附近出现“红相”的特征吸收, 苝生色团采取interdigital方式排列. SEM和TEM照片显示, 黑色固体的微观形态为长达数百微米, 直径为100~200 nm的纳米线, 而红色固体则为长度为几微米的梭状结构. 用紫外-可见和红外光谱监测了随着乙酸浓度的降低和介质改变, 固体由黑相到红相的转变, SEM图像还显示, 在体积分数为40%的乙酸水溶液中存在长纳米线解体和短的梭状结构形成的转变过程.     

Macrocyclic Donor–Acceptor Dyads Composed of a Perylene Bisimide Dye Surrounded by Oligothiophene Bridges

Two macrocyclic architectures comprising oligothiophene strands that connect the imide positions of a perylene bisimide (PBI) dye have been synthesized via a platinum-mediated cross-coupling strategy. The crystal structure of the double bridged PBI reveals all syn-arranged thiophene units that completely enclose the planar PBI chromophore via a 12-membered macrocycle. The target structures were characterized by steady-state UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopy, as well as cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry. Both donor–acceptor dyads show ultrafast Förster Resonance Energy Transfer and photoinduced electron transfer, thereby leading to extremely low fluorescence quantum yields even in the lowest polarity cyclohexane solvent.     

Tracking Structural Evolution during Symmetry-Breaking Charge Separation in Quadrupolar Perylene Bisimide with Time-Resolved Impulsive Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy

Elucidating structural roles in photoinduced charge transfer is indispensable, as nuclear rearrangements are simultaneously usually involved in the dynamics. However, it is hard to evaluate whether the structural changes occur or not by using conventional time-resolved electronic spectroscopy. Here, time-resolved impulsive stimulated Raman spectroscopy is applied to record the evolution of vibrational snapshots during charge-separation dynamics of donor–acceptor–donor-type quadrupolar perylene bisimide in real time. Drastic frequency shifts were observed for several Raman bands with their population kinetics, thus symmetry-breaking charge separation accompanies significant structural changes, as supported by (TD)-DFT calculations. A comparison between time-resolved Raman spectra of the neutral S₁ state and the radical anion species shows that the spectral signatures, especially in high-frequency regions, provide important clues to bond length alternation patterns in the PBI core.     

含蜜胺基团的新型苝酰亚胺染料的合成及纳米纤维的构筑

合成了一种含三嗪基团的新型苝酰亚胺染料(T-PTCD), 并对其分子结构进行了确认. 考察了溶剂的极性和溶剂体积比等因素对相转移法和快速溶剂扩散法制备的T-PTCD聚集体形貌结构的影响. 结果表明, 以甲醇和三氯甲烷分别作为"不良"溶剂和"良"溶剂, 低体积比甲醇/氯仿在一定程度上有利纳米纤维的形成; 当体积比为1:4时, 采用相转移法可制备出直径大约100 nm左右, 长度为几十微米的结构规整的纳米纤维.     

Chiral Perylene Bisimide Dyes by Interlocked Arene Substituents in the Bay Area

A series of perylene bisimide (PBI) dyes bearing various aryl substituents in 1,6,7,12 bay positions has been synthesized by Suzuki cross-coupling reaction. These molecules exhibit an exceptionally large and conformationally fixed twist angle of the PBI π-core due to the high steric congestion imparted by the aryl substituents in bay positions. Single crystal X-ray analyses of phenyl-, naphthyl- and pyrenyl-functionalized PBIs reveal interlocked π-π-stacking motifs, leading to conformational chirality and the possibility for the isolation of enantiopure atropoisomers by semipreparative HPLC. The interlocked arrangement endows these molecules with substantial racemization barriers of about 120 kJ mol⁻¹ for the tetraphenyl- and tetra-2-naphthyl-substituted derivatives, which is among the highest racemization barriers for axially chiral PBIs. Variable temperature NMR studies reveal the presence of a multitude of up to fourteen conformational isomers in solution that are interconverted via smaller activation barriers of about 65 kJ mol⁻¹. The redox and optical properties of these core-twisted PBIs have been characterized by cyclic voltammetry, UV/Vis/NIR and fluorescence spectroscopy and their respective atropo-enantiomers were further characterized by circular dichroism (CD) and circular polarized luminescence (CPL) spectroscopy.     

Synthesis and Predetermined Supramolecular Chirality of Carbohydrate‐Functionalized Perylene Bisimide Derivatives

Eight carbohydrate‐modified perylene bisimides ( PBI‐4 lac‐2 lac , PBI‐4 lac‐2 Man , PBI‐4 lac‐2 Gal , PBI‐4 lac‐2 Mal , PBI‐4 Man‐2 Man , PBI‐4 Man‐2 lac , PBI‐4 Man‐2 Gal and PBI‐4 Man‐2 Mal ) were synthesized, and the following predetermined supramolecular chirality rule was found: perylene bisimides modified with disaccharides (D ‐lactose and D ‐maltose) at the imide position generated right‐handed chirality, and those modified with monosaccharides (D ‐mannose and D ‐galactose) generated left‐handed chirality, when D ‐lactose or D ‐mannose was substituted in the bay positions of perylene bisimides with amide bonds as the linking spacers. These results may be because of the difference in the stacking angle of the perylene bisimide backbones induced by the steric effect and the additional hydrogen bonds between the disaccharide residues. This study provides an important design rule for predetermined chiral self‐assembly of perylene bisimides.     

Tracking Structural Evolution during Symmetry‐Breaking Charge Separation in Quadrupolar Perylene Bisimide with Time‐Resolved Impulsive Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy

Elucidating structural roles in photoinduced charge transfer is indispensable, as nuclear rearrangements are simultaneously usually involved in the dynamics. However, it is hard to evaluate whether the structural changes occur or not by using conventional time‐resolved electronic spectroscopy. Here, time‐resolved impulsive stimulated Raman spectroscopy is applied to record the evolution of vibrational snapshots during charge‐separation dynamics of donor–acceptor–donor‐type quadrupolar perylene bisimide in real time. Drastic frequency shifts were observed for several Raman bands with their population kinetics, thus symmetry‐breaking charge separation accompanies significant structural changes, as supported by (TD)‐DFT calculations. A comparison between time‐resolved Raman spectra of the neutral S₁ state and the radical anion species shows that the spectral signatures, especially in high‐frequency regions, provide important clues to bond length alternation patterns in the PBI core.     

Consecutive Charging of a Perylene Bisimide Dye by Multistep Low-Energy Solar-Light-Induced Electron Transfer Towards H2 Evolution

A photocatalytic system containing a perylene bisimide (PBI) dye as a photosensitizer anchored to titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles through carboxyl groups was constructed. Under solar-light irradiation in the presence of sacrificial triethanolamine (TEOA) in neutral and basic conditions (pH 8.5), a reaction cascade is initiated in which the PBI molecule first absorbs green light, giving the formation of a stable radical anion (PBI^.−), which in a second step absorbs near-infrared light, forming a stable PBI dianion (PBI²⁻). Finally, the dianion absorbs red light and injects an electron into the TiO₂ nanoparticle that is coated with platinum co-catalyst for hydrogen evolution. The hydrogen evolution rates (HERs) are as high as 1216 and 1022 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ with simulated sunlight irradiation in neutral and basic conditions, respectively.     

Rigid Nonfullerene Acceptors Based on Triptycene–Perylene Dye for Organic Solar Cells

Three kinds of nonconjugated rigid perylene bisimide (PBI) derivatives based on a triptycene core were designed, synthesized and characterized. The unique three‐dimensional (3D) conformation of triptycene could enable formation of polymer with the favorable morphology for organic polymer solar cells (PSCs) by relieving the self‐aggregation of rigid PBI units. The low‐lying LUMO energy levels of these compounds demonstrated that they are very suitable for use as acceptors in organic solar cells. A higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.15 % was obtained for the blend film using the compound with two PBI units ( T‐2 ) as the acceptor and commercial poly[[4,8‐bis[5‐(2‐ethylhexyl)thiophene‐2‐yl]benzo[1,2‐b :4,5‐b ′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl][3‐fluoro‐2‐[(2‐ethylhexyl)‐carbonyl]thieno[3,4‐b ]thiophenediyl]] (PCE‐10) as the electron donor.     

Perylene Bisimide and Naphthyl‐Based Molecular Dyads: Hydrogen Bonds Driving Co‐planarization and Anomalous Temperature‐Response Fluorescence

The origin of the positive temperature effect in fluorescence emission of a newly designed perylene bisimide (PBI) derivative with two naphthyl units containing ortho‐methoxy group (NM) at its bay positions (PBI‐2NM) was elucidated. A key point is the finding of a weak hydrogen bond (<5.0 kcal mol^?1) between the methoxy group of the NM unit and a nearby hydrogen atom of the PBI core. It is the bonding that drives co‐planarization of the different aromatic units, resulting in delocalization of the π‐electrons of the compound as synthesized, inducing fluorescence quenching via intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). With increasing temperature, the co‐planar structure could be distorted in part, resulting in a decreased degree of ICT, and hence leading to enhanced fluorescence emission. The unique positive temperature effect in emission induced by H‐bond‐driven co‐planarization may pave a new avenue in designing functional molecular systems complementary to conventional methods.     

Sensing of Double‐Stranded DNA/RNA Secondary Structures by Water Soluble Homochiral Perylene Bisimide Dyes

A broad series of homochiral perylene bisimide (PBI) dyes were synthesized that are appended with amino acids and cationic side chains at the imide positions. Self‐assembly behavior of these ionic PBIs has been studied in aqueous media by UV/Vis spectroscopy, revealing formation of excitonically coupled H‐type aggregates. The interactions of these ionic PBIs with different ds‐DNA and ds‐RNA have been explored by thermal denaturation, fluorimetric titration and circular dichroism (CD) experiments. These PBIs strongly stabilized ds‐DNA/RNA against thermal denaturation as revealed by high melting temperatures of the formed PBI/polynucleotide complexes. Fluorimetric titrations showed that these PBIs bind to ds‐DNA/RNA with high binding constants depending on the number of the positive charges in the side chains. Thus, spermine‐containing PBIs with six positive charges each showed higher binding constants (logK_s=9.2–9.8) than their dioxa analogues (logK_s=6.5–7.9) having two positive charges each. Induced circular dichroism (ICD) of PBI assemblies created within DNA/RNA grooves was observed. These ICD profiles are strongly dependent on the steric demand of the chiral substituents of the amino acid units and the secondary structure of the DNA or RNA. The observed ICD effects can be explained by non‐covalent binding of excitonically coupled PBI dimer aggregates into the minor groove of DNA and major groove of RNA which is further supported by molecular modeling studies.     

Aggregation Processes of Perylene Bisimide Diimidazolium Salts

The supramolecular aggregation of three diimidazolium‐functionalized perylene bisimides, differing in the alkyl chain length was investigated. These salts form aggregates in solvents like chloroform, dichloromethane, and glycerol. Solvent‐, concentration‐, and temperature‐dependent spectroscopic studies were carried out, evidencing the occurrence of an isodesmic, enthalpy‐driven aggregation process, underpinned by π–π stacking and hydrogen bonding. Moreover, dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements and SEM images revealed that these salts aggregate in chloroform into elongated structures.     

Folding‐Induced Modulation of Excited‐State Dynamics in an Oligophenylene–Ethynylene‐Tethered Spiral Perylene Bisimide Aggregate

The excited‐state photophysical behavior of a spiral perylene bisimide (PBI) folda‐octamer ( F8 ) tethered to an oligophenylene–ethynylene scaffold is comprehensively investigated. Solvent‐dependent UV/Vis and fluorescence studies reveal that the degree of folding in this foldamer is extremely sensitive to the solvent, thus giving rise to an extended conformation in CHCl₃ and a folded helical aggregate in methylcyclohexane (MCH). The exciton‐deactivation dynamics are largely governed by the supramolecular structure of F8 . Femtosecond transient absorption (TA) in the near‐infrared region indicates a photoinduced electron‐transfer process from the backbone to the PBI core in the extended conformation, whereas excitation power‐ and polarization‐dependent TA measurements combined with computational modeling showed that excitation energy transfer between the unit PBI chromophores is the major deactivation pathway in the folded counterpart.     

可溶性的含羧基苝酰亚胺类化合物的合成及其光谱性质研究

本文主要以酐(1)为起始物,通过在环母体结构的1、6、7、12位上引入苯氧基和对甲基苯氧基合成了另外两种酐化合物(2a和2b);所得到的酐化合物与6-氨基已酸进行反应,合成了3种可溶性的含有羧基的酰亚胺化合物(3a、3b和3c),使用红外、紫外、荧光、¹H-NMR,元素分析对所合成的化合物进行了表征.经研究发现,环母体结构的1、6、7、12位上苯氧基和对甲基苯氧基的引入,能使得所合成的含羧基酰亚胺类化合物的最大吸收波长分别红移了44.1 nm和50.1 nm;Stokes位移变大,分别为34.1 nm和30.0 nm;而荧光量子产率有所降低但下降趋势不明显.     

Benzodithiophene-Fused Perylene Bisimides as Electron Acceptors for Non-Fullerene Organic Solar Cells with High Open-Circuit Voltage

Tandem-junction organic solar cells require solar cells with visible light photo-response as front cells, in which an open-circuit voltage (V_oc) above 1.0 V is highly demanded. In this work, we are able to develop electron acceptors to fabricate non-fullerene organic solar cells (NFOSCs) with a very high V_oc of 1.14 V. This was realized by designing perylene bisimide (PBI)-based conjugated materials fused with benzodithiophene, in which Cl and S atom were introduced into the molecules in order to lower the frontier energy levels. The fused structures can reduce the aggregation of PBI unit and meanwhile maintain a good charge transport property. The new electron acceptors were applied into NFOSCs by using Cl and S substituted conjugated polymers as electron donor, in which an initial power conversion efficiency of 6.63 % and a high V_oc of 1.14 V could be obtained. The results demonstrate that the molecular design by incorporating Cl and S atom into electron acceptors has great potential to realize high performance NFOSCs.     

Dibenzo[a,f]perylene Bisimide: Effects of Introducing Two Fused Rings

Perylene bisimides (PBIs) are fascinating dyes with various potential applications. To study the effects of introducing a dibenzo‐fused structure to the perylene moiety, π‐extended PBI derivatives with a dibenzo‐fused structure at both of the a and f bonds were synthesized. The twisted structure was characterized by X‐ray crystal structure analysis. In the cyclic voltammograms, the dibenzo[a,f]‐fused PBI showed a reversible oxidation wave at much less positive potential, relative to a dibenzo[a,o]‐fused PBI derivative. These data indicated that two ring fusions at both sides of a naphthalene moiety, which construct a tetracene core, effectively raise the HOMO level compared to fusion of one ring at each naphthalene moiety (two anthracene cores). The dibenzo[a,f]‐fused PBI derivative showed an absorption band at 735 nm with a shoulder band reaching 900 nm.     

18-冠-6修饰苝酰亚胺衍生物的合成及离子识别行为

合成了一种18-冠-6修饰的苝酰亚胺衍生物(1), 研究了其作为主体对金属离子与阴离子的选择性识别行为. 结果表明, 主体1对Ba²⁺离子具有一定的选择性响应, 并可以通过Ba²⁺调控主体1的堆积行为; 主体1还对F^-离子有选择性响应, F^-与苝酰亚胺单元之间发生了阴离子-π相互作用.