A new strategy for folding oligo(m-phenylene ethynylenes)

Backbone-rigidified oligo(m-phenylene ethynylenes) fold into crescent or helical conformations in non-polar organic solvents.     

Molecular packing and morphology of oligo(m-phenylene ethynylene) foldamers

Understanding and controlling solid-state morphologies and molecular conformations is the key to optimizing the properties of materials. As an example for the influence of small chemical changes on solid-state structures, we studied oligo(m-phenylene ethynylene) foldamers, where the introduction of an endo-methyl group induces a transition from an extended all-transoid to a helical all-cisoid conformation. The resulting structural changes were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and low-dose high-resolution electron microscopy (LD-HREM) over several length scales from the molecular to the mesoscopic level. The strong tendency of the endo-methyl oligomer 1 to form stable compact helices in solution resulted in round droplets with an ordered hexagonal columnar (Col(ho)) liquid crystalline structure, where shrinkage during the crystallization resulted in the formation of a banded texture. On the other hand, the endo-hydrogen oligomer 2 exhibited a very different morphology; its extended linear shape was maintained during crystallization and resulted in an extended lamellar structure, which was determined by a compromise between crystalline packing and minimization of the surface area. Another pronounced difference between both molecular structures was the ability of the extended lamellar "crystals" to bend, whereas the helices form either straight or disordered domains. In addition, both materials exhibit strong surface effects, which extend considerably inside the droplet and induce uniform bending of the supramolecular structures.     

Mirror helices and helicity switch at surfaces based on chiral triangular-shape oligo(phenylene ethynylenes)

The self‐assembly of triangular‐shaped oligo(phenylene ethynylenes) (OPEs), peripherally decorated with chiral and linear paraffinic chains, is investigated in bulk, onto surfaces and in solution. Whilst the X‐ray diffraction data for the chiral studied systems display a broad reflection centered at 2θ ～20° (λ=Cu_Kα), the higher crystallinity of OPE 3 , endowed with three linear decyl chains, results in a diffractrogram with a number of well‐resolved reflections that can be accurately indexed as a columnar packing arranged in 2D oblique cells. Compounds (S)‐ 1 a and (R)‐ 1 b —endowed with (S)‐ and (R)‐3,7‐dimethyloctyloxy chains—transfer their chirality to the supramolecular structures formed upon their self‐assembly, and give rise to helical nanostructures of opposite handedness. A helicity switch is noticeable for the case of chiral (S)‐ 2 decorated with (S)‐2‐methylnonyloxy chains which forms right‐handed helices despite it possesses the same stereoconfiguration for their stereogenic carbons as (S)‐ 1 a that self‐assembles into left‐handed helices. The stability and the mechanism of the supramolecular polymerization in solution have been investigated by UV/Vis experiments in methylcyclohexane. These studies demonstrate that the larger the distance between the stereogenic carbon and the aromatic framework is, the more stable the aggregate is. Additionally, the self‐assembly mechanism is conditioned by the peripheral substituents: whereas compounds (S)‐ 1 a and (R)‐ 1 b self‐assemble in a cooperative manner with a low degree of cooperativity, the aggregation of (S)‐ 2 and 3 is well described by an isodesmic model. Therefore, the interaction between the chiral coil chains conditions the handedness of the helical pitch, the stability of the supramolecular structure and the supramolecular polymerization mechanism of the studied OPEs.     

Vibronic structures in the electronic spectra of oligo(phenylene ethynylene): effect of m-phenylene to the optical properties of poly(m-phenylene ethynylene)

At the low temperature, hidden vibronic structures are successfully resolved in the absorption and emission spectra of oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s 3-5. Identification of the hidden bands allows estimation of the vibrational energy gaps in these molecules, which appears to increase with the oligomer conjugation length. The remarkable similarity between the absorption profiles of diphenylacetylene (3) and 1,3-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene (5), especially at -198 degrees C, confirms the effectiveness of conjugation interruption at m-phenylene. The function of precise conjugation length control via m-phenylene is further demonstrated from poly(m-phenylene ethynylene) (PmPE) (6). Even though the number of recurring unit (phenylene ethynylene) increases from 2 (for 5) to 12 (for 6), the absorption and emission spectra of the latter are nearly identical to that of the former.     

An effective, orthogonal deprotection strategy for differentially functionalized, linear and Y-shaped oligo phenylene ethynylenes

Several methodologies for the selective deprotection acetylenes have been reported previously. However, as is shown here, they are often not reliable or convenient. Here, an approach is reported that is efficient and general. Use of this approach to synthesize several two- and three-armed oligo(phenylene ethynylene) molecules with differentiated end groups is reported. In addition, preliminary characterization of the fluorescent properties of some of these molecules and their ability to form self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is reported.     

Crystal structure of poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide)

The crystal structure of poly(m-phenyulene isophthalamide) was determined by x-ray analysis. The triclinic cell, with a = 5.27 Å, b = 5.25 Å, c (fiber axis) = 11.3 Å, α = 111.5°, β = 111.4° and γ = 88.0° and space group P1, contains one monomeric unit. The crystal density is 1.47 g/cc. The molecules in the crystal are contracted by 1 Å per monomeric unit from the fully extended conformation, and the planes of the benzene rings and adjacent amide groups make angles of about 30°. The crystal is composed of molecular chains connected by N? H···O hydrogen bonds along the a and b axes forming a “jungle gym” network structure. The low tensile modulus of this polymer as compared with that of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) is attributed to the contracted molecular conformation.     

Photopolymerization kinetics of oligo(ethylene oxide) and oligo(methylene) oxide dimethacrylates

The influence of temperature on the photopolymerization kinetics of oligo(methylene) oxide and oligo(ethylene oxide) dimethacrylate series has been investigated by isothermal DSC. The DSC curves showed a rapid rise in rate due to the Trommsdorff effect, and then a slow decline. A shoulder, apparent on many of the DSC curves at low conversions, became more prominent when the cure temperature was lowered. The kinetics were relatively insensitive to the dimethacrylate structure in the early stages of the reaction, but became more dependent as the reaction proceeded. A previously derived mathematical model, which allows for the influence of diffusion on the rate constants, was used to predict the kinetics. The dependence of the maximum rate and conversion on the curing temperature were adequately described by the model. The experimentally observed shoulder on the rate curve was also predicated as was the evolution of the rate/time curves with curing temperature. Similar predictions were found when a nonsteady state version of the model was used. The radiation intensity exponent varied from 0.3 to 0.6 possibly due to chain-length effects and pseudo-first order termination, respectively. The final degree of conversion increased with curing temperature (T_cure) and was correlated with the flexibility of the dimethacrylate. These data were fitted to a theoretical expression relating the final conversion to the resin T_g and to the T_cure. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Chiral Single-Molecule Potentiometers Based on Stapled ortho- Oligo(phenylene)ethynylenes

We report on the chemical design of chiral molecular junctions with stress-dependent conductance, whose helicity is maintained during the stretching of a single molecule junction due to the stapling of both ends of the inner helix. In the reported compounds, different conductive pathways are observed, with clearly different conductance values and plateau-length distributions, attributed to different conformations of the helical structures. The large chiro-optical responses and the potential use of these molecules as unimolecular spin filters have been theoretically proved using state-of-the-art Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, including a fully ab-initio estimation of the CISS-originating spin polarization which is done, for the first time, for a realistic molecular system.     

Synthesis of fullerene-substituted oligo(phenylenebutadiyndiyl)

A diethynylbenzene monomer substituted with two fullerene moieties has been prepared, and its oligomerization performed in the presence of phenylacetylene as end-capping reagent afforded the corresponding end-capped mono- and di-mer with an oligo(phenylenebutadiyndiyl) (OPB) conjugated backbone substituted with two and four fullerene subunits, respectively.     

Electronic and structural properties of oligophenylene ethynylenes on Au(111) surfaces

The interaction of oligophenylene ethynylene (OPE) on the (111) surface of a gold slab resembling a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is investigated using ab initio density functional theory calculations. The authors performed a full optimization including all atoms in the OPE and in the slab to better understand OPE adsorption on the surface. It is found that OPE has two energetically favorable adsorption sites on the Au surface with relatively different molecular geometries: the nontop site adsorption greatly modifies the (111) surface structure; however, the extensive electron interactions enable a delocalized electron density distribution, implying an improved conductivity between OPE and Au, and the top site which is 0.9 eV higher in energy than the nontop and features weaker Au-S bonds. Interestingly the on top configuration shows a strong spin imbalance along the molecule and the nontop shows a small spin imbalance on the surface. This feature is of strong interest for the development of resonators for the detection of chemical and biological agents. They have also calculated the frequency spectrum of these SAMs, which yield deformations in the gold surface yielding peak frequency shifts specific to each absorption site.     

Aldehyde separation by polymer-supported oligo(ethyleneimines)

Chlorosulfonated styrene (10%) divinylbenzene resin beads reacted with an excess of ethylenediamine (EDA), diethylenetriamine (DETA), and triethylenetetramine (TETA) to give the corresponding sulfonamides with pendant oligo(ethyleneimines). The resulting modified resins are useful in the separation of aldehydes from hydrocarbon mixtures. Sorption of aldehydes occurs through formation of both Schiff base and five-membered (imidazoline) rings. Sorbed aldehydes can readily be stripped from the resins by treating with dilute acid solutions. Since the sulfamide bond has a reasonable stability toward acid-base hydrolysis, the loaded resins can be regenerated and recycled by simple acid-base washings, without losing their activity. In the present study, sorption and desorption kinetics of acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, and salicylaldehyde have been investigated under different conditions. The aldehyde sorption obeys second-order kinetics. The method presented is applicable for all aromatic aldehydes. However, in the case of aliphatic aldehydes carrying an α-hydrogen, aldol condensation products form in solution. So aliphatic aldehydes and their aldol products are sorbed together by the resins. This limits the recovery of aliphatic aldehydes. Consequently, the resins described are cost effective sorbents for the removal and recovery of aromatic aldehydes from various mixtures. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2857–2864, 1997     

Solid-phase synthesis of oligo(p-benzamide) foldamers

[reaction: see text] A coupling protocol has been developed which allows the synthesis of oligo(p-benzamide)s on solid support. Aromatic carboxylic acids are activated in situ with thionyl chloride and used to acylate secondary aromatic amines. N-p-Methoxy benzyl (PMB) as well as N-hexyl protected monomers were investigated. Heterosequences of both monomers were synthesized. Such nanoscale objects are important building blocks for supramolecular chemistry.     

Synthesis and application of oligo(vinylamine)

Oligo(vinylamine) (OVAm) can be synthesized from oligo(N‐vinylformamide) (OVFA) by hydrolysis of the formamide groups. The cationic polymerization of VFA is initiated with iodine, bromine, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, or trimethylsilyl triflate in toluene at various temperatures. Chain structures, head group functionality, and MWD of the OVFA are investigated by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, MALDI‐TOF‐MS, and GPC. OVFAs with narrow MWD are obtained in moderate yields (5–50%) at 253–313 K. The yields, average molecular weights, and chemical constitution of the OVFAs are strongly determined by the reaction temperature used. The acid or alkaline hydrolysis of the OVFAs leads to OVAm. The structure of the OVAms, based on different precursor OVFAs, is investigated by NMR spectroscopy and GPC. An application of the OVAm as a suitable polyelectrolyte component for organic/inorganic hybrid materials is described.     

Kinetic comparison of isomeric oligo(ethylene oxide) (meth)acrylates: Aqueous polymerization of oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether methacrylate and methyl 2-(oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether)acrylate macromonomers

The photoinduced energy/electron transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerizations of oligo(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether methacrylate (OEOMA, also known as poly[ethylene glycol] methyl ether methacrylate, PEGMA) and isomeric methyl 2-(oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether)acrylate (2OEOAM) macromonomers with OEO average degree of polymerization of 22 or 45 were conducted in aqueous media to provide insight into the effect of monomer structure on grafting-through RAFT of 1,1-disubstituted acrylic macromonomers. The polymerizations of all four monomers reached nearly quantitative conversion. The longer macromonomers polymerized faster than the shorter ones within the same monomer class. The OEO side chain at the α (i.e., 2-) position of isomeric acrylates significantly slowed RAFT polymerization in comparison with OEO ester side chain of methacrylates.     

Thermal Degradation of The Poly(m-phenylene Oxadiazole) Molecules in Sulphuric Acid

Translational diffusion of poly-2,5-(1,3-phenylene)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PMOD) in solution in 96% sulphuric acid was studied, and intrinsic viscosity was measured at different stages of thermal degradation. Polymer solution has previously been subjected to heating at temperature ranging from 75 to 104°C and then investigated at 26°C. A monotonic decrease in intrinsic viscosity and the molecular mass, M, of degraded products with increasing degradation temperature was detected. The rate constant of the degradation process has been obtained from the change in M of the degradation products with time at a fixed solution temperature, and the activation energy of the process was calculated by using the temperature dependence of the rate constant. The activation energy (E =102±8 kJ^–1 ) is close to that obtained previously for the hydrolysis of poly-2,5-(1,4-phenylene)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PPOD) in sulphuric acid (106 kJ^–1 ), the rate constant being approximately twice in the value. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Poly(m-phenylene disulfide): Antimony pentafluoride doping and infrared spectroscopy

Poly(m-phenylene disulfide) treated with SbF₅ gives an unstable blue-black material. Heating of doped samples at 155°C leads to some stabilization to ambient conditions; doped and heated pellets exhibit a conductivity of 10^?9 and 10^?5 S/cm for vapor and liquid doping, respectively. To investigate backbone modifications, polymer powders have been treated with large amounts of liquid SbF₅ and an analysis of the IR spectra of the extracted samples has been tried in comparison with that of pristine polymer. Evidence for SbF ion has been found in the IR spectra of the complexes.     

Self-assembled monolayers of clamped oligo(phenylene-ethynylene-butadiynylene)s

Rigid rod oligo(phenylene-ethynylene-butadiynylene)s (oPEBs), "half-rings" of two rigid rods connected via a molecular clamp unit, and shape-persistent macrocycles (cyclic "half-ring dimers") are synthesized and their self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at the interface of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB)/highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The results are important for the design of molecular building blocks for two-dimensional nanoscale architectures on solid surfaces.