Synthesis and two‐photon absorption properties of conjugated polymers with N‐arylpyrrole as conjugated bridge and isolation moieties

Three novel conjugated polymers with N‐arylpyrrole as the conjugated bridge were designed and synthesized, which emitted strong one‐ or two‐photon excitation fluorescence in dilute tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution with high quantum yields. The maximal two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross‐sections of the polymers, measured by the two‐photon‐induced fluorescence method using femtosecond laser pulses in THF, were 752, 1114, and 1869 GM, respectively, indicating that the insertion of electron‐donating or electron‐withdrawing moieties into the polymer backbone could benefit to the increase of the TPA cross‐section. Their large TPA cross‐sections, coupled with the relatively high emission quantum yields, made these conjugated polymers attractive for practical applications, especially two‐photon excited fluorescence. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Efficient π‐conjugated interrupted host polymer by metal‐free polymerization for blue/green phosphorescent light‐emitting diodes

A new aromatic host polymer poly{[1,4‐bis(9‐decylcarbazole‐3‐yl)‐2,3,5,6‐tetrafluorobenzene‐3,3′‐diyl]‐alt‐[N‐methylisatin‐2‐one‐3,3‐diyl]} (PICzFB) containing carbazole–tetrafluorinebeneze–carbazole moiety in the π‐conjugated interrupted polymer backbone was synthesized by superacid‐catalyzed metal‐free polyhydroxyalkylation. The resulted copolymer PICzFB showed a comparatively wide band gap up to 3.32 eV and high triplet energy (E_T) of 2.73 eV due to confined conjugation by the δ? C bond interrupted polymer backbone. Blue and green light‐emitting devices with PICzFB as host, FIrpic and Ir(mppy)₃ as phosphorescent dopants showed the maximum luminous efficiencies of 5.0 and 27.6 cd/A, respectively. The results suggested that the strategy of incorporating bipolar unit into the π‐conjugated interrupted polymer backbone can be a promising approach to obtain host polymer with high triplet level for solution‐processed blue and green phosphorescent polymer light‐emitting diodes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1037–1046     

A p‐Quinodimethane‐Bridged Porphyrin Dimer

A p‐quinodimethane (p‐QDM)‐bridged porphyrin dimer 1 has been prepared for the first time. An unexpected Michael addition reaction took place when we attempted to synthesize compound 1 by reaction of the cross‐conjugated keto‐linked porphyrin dimers 8 a and 8 b with alkynyl/aryl Grignard reagents. Alternatively, compound 1 could be successfully prepared by intramolecular Friedel–Crafts alkylation of the diol‐linked porphyrin dimer 14 with concomitant oxidation in air. Compound 1 shows intense one‐photon absorption (OPA, λ_max=955 nm, ε=45400 M ^?1 cm^?1) and a large two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross‐section (σ⁽²⁾_max=2080 GM at 1800 nm) in the near‐infrared (NIR) region due to its extended π‐conjugation and quinoidal character. It also exhibits a short singlet excited‐state lifetime of 25 ps. The cyclic voltammogram of 1 displays multiple redox waves with a small electrochemical energy gap of 0.86 eV. The ground‐state geometry, electronic structure, and optical properties of 1 have been further studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and compared with those of the keto‐linked dimer 8 b . This research has revealed that incorporation of a p‐QDM unit into the porphyrin framework had a significant impact on its optical and electronic properties, leading to a novel NIR OPA and TPA chromophore.     

The Synthesis and One‐ and Two‐Photon Optical Properties of Dipolar,Quadrupolar and Octupolar Donor–Acceptor Molecules Containing Dimesitylboryl Groups

Two series of related donor–acceptor conjugated dipolar, pseudo‐quadrupolar (V‐shaped) and octupolar molecular systems based on the p‐dimesitylborylphenylethynylaniline core, namely, 4‐(4‐dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)‐N,N‐dimethylaniline, 4‐[4‐(4‐dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)phenylethynyl]‐N,N‐dimethylaniline, 3,6‐bis(4‐dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)‐N‐n‐butylcarbazole and tris[4‐(4‐dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)phenyl]amine, and on the E‐p‐dimesitylborylethenylaniline motif, namely, E‐4‐dimesitylborylethenyl‐N,N‐di(4‐tolyl)aniline, 3,6‐bis(E‐dimesitylborylethenyl)‐N‐n‐butylcarbazole and tris(E‐4‐dimesitylborylethenylphenyl)amine have been synthesised by palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling and hydroboration routes, respectively. Their absorption and emission maxima, fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields have been obtained and their two‐photon absorption (TPA) spectra and TPA cross‐sections have been examined. Of these systems, the octupolar compound tris(E‐4‐dimesitylborylethenylphenyl)amine has been shown to exhibit the largest TPA cross‐section among the two series of approximately 1000 GM at 740 nm. Its TPA performance is comparable to those of other triphenylamine‐based octupoles of similar size. The combination of such large TPA cross‐sections and high emission quantum yields, up to 0.94, make these systems attractive for applications involving two‐photon excited fluorescence (TPEF).     

Synthesis,Photophysical Properties of Tribranched Chromophores Based on 1,3,5‐Triazine Core and Different Electro‐donating End‐groups

Three two‐photon absorption (TPA) tribranched chromophores were successfully prepared, in which 1,3,5‐triazine is been as electron deficient core, 1,4‐phenylenedivinylene as conjugated bridge, 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) ( T1 ), N‐methylpyrrole ( T2 ) or triphenylamine ( T3 ) as electron‐donating end‐groups. Their photophysical properties were studied by absorption, one‐ and two‐photon fluorescence and TPA cross‐section determination. The nonlinear transmission (NLT) measurement in femtoseconds (fs) regime at 800 nm indicates that TPA cross‐section (₂ values of T1 , T2 and T3 with extended Π‐conjugated bridge are much larger than the corresponding chromophore T4 with a short length bridge, and TPA cross‐section of T1 with end‐groups EDOT exhibits a remarkable enhancement compared with T2 and T3 having the same length Π‐system. The chromophores T1 , T2 and T3 show also remarkable up‐converted luminescence and optical limiting activity.     

Fluorene‐Based π‐Conjugated Oligomers for Efficient Three‐Photon Excited Photoluminescence and Lasing

A novel series of diphenylamino‐ and 1,2,4‐triazole‐end‐capped, fluorene‐based, π‐conjugated oligomers that includes extended oligofluorenes and oligothienylfluorenes has been synthesized by means of the palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki cross‐coupling of 9,9‐dibutyl‐7‐(diphenylamino)‐2‐fluorenylboronic acid and the corresponding 1,2,4,‐triazole‐based aryl halide as a key step. It was demonstrated that efficient two‐ and three‐photon excited photoluminescence and lasing in the blue region are obtained by pumping near‐infrared femtosecond lasers on these materials. Although the absorption and emission maxima of the highly fluorescent and extended oligofluorenes reach a saturation limit, there exists an effective conjugation length for an optimum three‐photon absorption cross section in the homologous oligofluorene series. On the other hand, the multiphoton excited emission spectrum and lasing wavelength can easily be modified or tuned by an incorporation of thienyl unit(s) into the fluorene‐based π‐conjugated core with which exceptionally large three‐photon absorption cross sections up to 3.59×10^?77 cm⁶ s² in the femtosecond regime have been obtained, thereby highlighting the potential of this series of photonic materials. The optimized full width at half‐maximum of the cavityless three‐photon upconverted blue lasing spectra are sharply narrowed to approximately 6 nm with an efficiency of up to 0.013 %.     

Synthesis,One‐ and Two‐Photon Photophysical and Excited‐State Properties,and Sensing Application of a New Phosphorescent Dinuclear Cationic Iridium(III) Complex

A new phosphorescent dinuclear cationic iridium(III) complex ( Ir1 ) with a donor–acceptor–π‐bridge–acceptor–donor (D? A? π? A? D)‐conjugated oligomer ( L1 ) as a N^N ligand and a triarylboron compound as a C^N ligand has been synthesized. The photophysical and excited‐state properties of Ir1 and L1 were investigated by UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and molecular‐orbital calculations, and they were compared with those of the mononuclear iridium(III) complex [Ir(Bpq)₂(bpy)]⁺PF₆^? ( Ir0 ). Compared with Ir0 , complex Ir1 shows a more‐intense optical‐absorption capability, especially in the visible‐light region. For example, complex Ir1 shows an intense absorption band that is centered at λ=448 nm with a molar extinction coefficient (ε) of about 10⁴, which is rarely observed for iridium(III) complexes. Complex Ir1 displays highly efficient orange–red phosphorescent emission with an emission wavelength of 606 nm and a quantum efficiency of 0.13 at room temperature. We also investigated the two‐photon‐absorption properties of complexes Ir0 , Ir1 , and L1 . The free ligand ( L1 ) has a relatively small two‐photon absorption cross‐section (δ_max=195 GM), but, when complexed with iridium(III) to afford dinuclear complex Ir1 , it exhibits a higher two‐photon‐absorption cross‐section than ligand L1 in the near‐infrared region and an intense two‐photon‐excited phosphorescent emission. The maximum two‐photon‐absorption cross‐section of Ir1 is 481 GM, which is also significantly larger than that of Ir0 . In addition, because the strong B? F interaction between the dimesitylboryl groups and F^? ions interrupts the extended π‐conjugation, complex Ir1 can be used as an excellent one‐ and two‐photon‐excited “ON–OFF” phosphorescent probe for F^? ions.     

Tailoring Excited State Properties and Energy Levels Arrangement via Subtle Structural Design on D‐π‐A Materials

The donor‐π‐conjugated‐acceptor (D‐π‐A) structure is an important design for the luminescent materials because of its diversity in the selections of donor, π‐bridge and acceptor groups. Herein, we demonstrate two examples of D‐π‐A structures capable to finely modulate the excited state properties and arrangement of energy levels, TPA‐AN‐BP and CZP‐AN‐BP , which possess the same acceptor and π‐bridge but different donor. The investigation of their photophysical properties and DFT calculation revealed that the D‐π‐A structure with proper donor, π‐bridge and acceptor can result in separation of frontier molecular orbitals on the corresponding donor and acceptor with an obvious overlap on the π‐bridge, resulting in a hybridized local and charge‐transfer (HLCT ) excited state with high photoluminescent (PL ) efficiencies. Meanwhile, their singlet and triplet states are arranged on corresponding moieties with large energy gap between T₂ and T₁ , and a small energy gap between S₁ and T₂ , which favor the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC ) from high‐lying triplet levels to singlet levels. As a result, the sky‐blue emission non‐doped OLED based on the TPA‐AN‐BP reached maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE ) of 4.39% and a high exciton utilization efficiency (EUE ) of 77%. This study demonstrates a new strategy to construct highly efficient OLED materials.     

Synthesis,one‐ and two‐photon properties of poly[9,10‐bis(3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyl‐oxy)phenyl)‐2,6‐anthracenevinylene‐alt‐N‐octyl‐3,6‐/2,7‐carbazolevinylene]

The synthesis, one‐ and two‐photon absorption (TPA) and emission properties of two novel 2,6‐anthracenevinylene‐based copolymers, poly[9,10‐bis(3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)‐2,6‐anthracenevinylene‐alt‐N‐octyl‐3,6‐carbazolevinyl‐ene] ( P1 ) and poly[9,10‐bis(3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)‐2,6‐anthracenevinyl‐ene‐alt‐N‐octyl‐2,7‐carbazolevinylene] ( P2 ) were reported. The as‐synthesized polymers have the number‐average molecular weights of 1.56 × 10⁴ for P1 and 1.85 × 10⁴ g mol^?1 for P2 and are readily soluble in common organic solvents. They emit strong bluish‐green one‐ and two‐photon excitation fluorescence in dilute toluene solution (? _P1 = 0.85, ? _P2 = 0.78, λ_em( P1 ) = 491 nm, λ_em( P2 ) = 483 nm). The maximal TPA cross‐sections of P1 and P2 measured by the two‐photon‐induced fluorescence method using femtosecond laser pulses in toluene are 840 and 490 GM per repeating unit, respectively, which are obviously larger than that (210 GM) of poly[9,10‐bis‐(3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyloxy) phenyl)‐2,6‐anthracenevinylene], indicating that the poly(2,6‐anthracenevinylene) derivatives with large TPA cross‐sections can be obtained by inserting electron‐donating moieties into the polymer backbone. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 463–470, 2010     

Study of Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Four Derivatives of Substituted Aryl Hydrazones of 1,8‐Naphthalimide

Four 1,8‐naphthalimide hydrazone molecules with different electron‐donating groups have been applied in the study of linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. These compounds showed strong green emission in solution. Their NLO properties such as two‐photon absorption (TPA) behavior with femtosecond laser pulses ca. 800 nm and excited‐state absorption (ESA) behavior with nanosecond laser pulses at 532 nm were investigated. Compound 4 presented the largest two‐photon cross section (550 GM) among them due to two factors: the conjugated length of compound 4 is the longest and the electron‐donating ability of compound 4 is the strongest. Different from TPA behavior, compound 2 showed the best nonlinear absorption properties at 532 nm and its nonlinear absorption coefficient and third‐order nonlinear optical susceptibilities χ ⁽³⁾ were up to 1.41×10^?10 MKS and 4.65×10^?12 esu, respectively. Through the modification of the structure, the nonlinear optical properties of these compounds at different wavelengths (532 and 800 nm) were well tuned. The great broad‐band nonlinear optical properties indicate hydrazones are good candidates for organic nonlinear optical absorption materials.     

Highly Efficient Multiphoton‐Pumped Frequency‐Upconversion Stimulated Blue Emission with Ultralow Threshold from Highly Extended Ladder‐Type Oligo(p‐phenylene)s

A series of highly extended π‐conjugated ladder‐type oligo(p‐phenylene)s containing up to 10 phenyl rings with (L)‐Ph(n)‐NPh (n=7–10) or without diphenylamino endcaps (L)‐Ph(n) (n=7 and 8) were synthesized and investigated for their multiphoton absorption properties for frequency upconverted blue ASE/lasing. Extremely large two‐photon absorption (2PA) cross‐sections and highly efficient 2PA ASE/lasing with ultralow threshold were achieved. (L)‐Ph(10)‐NPh exhibits the highest intrinsic 2PA cross‐section of 3643 GM for a blue emissive organic fluorophore reported so far. The record‐high 2PA pumped ASE/lasing efficiency of 2.06 % was obtained by un‐endcapped oligomer, (L)‐Ph(8) rather than that with larger σ₂, suggesting that a molecule with larger σ₂ is not guaranteed to exhibit higher η₂. All of these oligomers exhibit exceptionally ultralow 2PA pumped ASE/lasing thresholds, among which the lowest 2PA pumped threshold of circa 0.26 μJ was achieved by (L)‐Ph(10)‐NPh.     

Theoretical Studies on the One‐ and Two‐Photon Absorption Properties of Double‐bis(styryl)benzene Derivatives

Two series of bis(styryl)benzene derivatives (BSBD), namely the single‐BSBD and the double‐BSBD, were investigated. The equilibrium geometries and electronic structures were obtained by using the density functional theory B3LYP and 6‐31G basis set. In succession, the one‐ and two‐photon absorption properties of all the molecules were studied theoretically with a ZINDO‐SOS (sum‐over‐states) method in detail. It can be seen that the double‐BSBDs have larger two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross sections in the visible‐IR range than the corresponding single‐BSBDs, demonstrating that increasing the molecular dimension is a very effective method to enhance the values of the TPA cross sections. On the other hand, it can be also noticed that the values of the TPA cross sections are correlative with the ability of donating (accepting) electrons of the terminal substituent groups R [N(CH₃)₂, CH₃, H and CF₃] in these molecules. That is, the intramolecular charge transfer is also a factor for the enhancement of the TPA efficiency. To sum up, the idea of increasing the molecular dimension to enhance the TPA cross section value is a helpful direction to explore better TPA materials for practical applications. And the double‐BSBD molecules are promising TPA materials for the further investigation from the standpoint of the high transparency and the larger TPA cross sections.     

Water‐Soluble Triarylborane Chromophores for One‐ and Two‐Photon Excited Fluorescence Imaging of Mitochondria in Cells

Three water‐soluble tetracationic quadrupolar chromophores comprising two three‐coordinate boron π‐acceptor groups bridged by thiophene‐containing moieties were synthesised for biological imaging applications. Compound 3 containing the bulkier 5‐(3,5‐Me₂C₆H₂)‐2,2′‐(C₄H₂S)₂‐5′‐(3,5‐Me₂C₆H₂) bridge is stable over a long period of time, exhibits a high fluorescence quantum yield and strong one‐ and two‐photon absorption (TPA), and has a TPA cross section of 268 GM at 800 nm in water. Confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy studies in live cells indicated localisation of the chromophore at the mitochondria; moreover, cytotoxicity measurements proved biocompatibility. Thus, chromophore 3 has excellent potential for one‐ and two‐photon‐excited fluorescence imaging of mitochondrial function in cells.     

New Fluorescence Domain “Excited Multimer” Formed upon Photoexcitation of Continuously Stacked Diaroylmethanatoboron Difluoride Molecules with Fused π‐Orbitals in Crystals

The crystal‐packing structures of seven derivatives of diaroylmethanatoboron difluoride ( 1 a – gBF₂ ) are characterized by no overlap of the π‐conjugated main units of two adjacent molecules (type I), overlap of the benzene ring π‐orbitals of two adjacent molecules (type II), and overlap of the benzene and dihydrodioxaborinine rings π‐orbitals of adjacent molecules (type III). The crystal‐packing structures govern the fluorescence (FL) properties in the crystalline states. The FL domain that is present in type I crystals, in which intermolecular orbital interactions are absent, leads to excited monomer‐like FL properties. In the case of the type II crystals, the presence of intermolecular overlap of the benzene rings π‐orbitals generates new FL domains, referred to as “excited multimers”, which possess allowed S₀–S₁ electronic transitions and, as a result, similar FL lifetimes at longer wavelengths than the FL of the type I crystals. Finally, intermolecular overlap of the benzene and dihydrodioxaborinine ring π‐orbitals in the type III crystals leads to “excited multimer” domains with forbidden S₀–S₁ electronic transitions and longer FL lifetimes at similar wavelengths as that in type I crystals.     

Preparation and Acid‐Responsive Photophysical Properties of T‐Shaped π‐Conjugated Molecules Containing a Benzimidazole Junction

T‐shaped π‐conjugated molecules with an N‐methyl‐benzimidazole junction have been synthesized and their acid‐responsive photophysical properties owing to the change in the π‐conjugation system are discussed. T‐shaped π‐conjugated molecules consist of two orthogonal π‐conjugated systems including a phenyl thiophene extended from the 2‐position and alkyl phenylenes connected through various π‐spacers from the 4,7‐positions of the N‐methyl‐benzimidazole junction. The π‐spacers, such as thiophene, ethyne, and ethane, have an effect on the acid response of photophysical properties in terms of changes in conformation, excited‐state energy and charge‐transfer (CT) characteristics. In particular, the π‐conjugated molecule with ethynyl spacers exhibited a marked redshift in the fluorescence spectrum with a large Stokes shift upon the addition of acid, whereas the other molecules showed substantial quenching. The redshift in emission was studied in detail by temperature‐dependent fluorescence measurements, which indicated the transition to a CT state over the finite activation energy at the excited state. The change in the frontier molecular orbitals upon acid addition was further discussed by means of DFT calculations.     

Nondoped Deep‐Blue Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes with Color Stability and Very Low Efficiency Roll‐Off: Solution‐Processable Small‐Molecule Fluorophores by Phosphine Oxide Linkage

A series of solution‐processable small molecules PO1 – PO4 were designed and synthesized by linking N‐phenylnaphthalen‐1‐amine groups to a phenyl phosphine oxide core through a π‐conjugated bridge, and their thermal, photophysical, and electrochemical properties were investigated. The phosphine oxide linkage can disrupt the conjugation and allows the molecular system to be extended to enable solution processability and high glass transition temperatures (159–181 °C) while preserving the deep‐blue emission. The noncoplanar molecular structures resulting from the trigonal‐pyramidal configuration of the phosphine oxide can suppress intermolecular interactions, and thus these compounds exhibit strong deep‐blue emission both in solution and the solid state with high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) of 0.88–0.99 in dilute toluene solution. Solution‐processed nondoped organic light‐emitting diodes featuring PO4 as emitter achieve a maximum current efficiency of 2.36 cd A^?1 with CIE coordinates of (0.15, 0.11) that are very close to the NTSC blue standard. Noticeably, all devices based on these small‐molecular fluorescent emitters show striking deep‐blue electroluminescent color stability and extremely low efficiency roll‐off.     

N‐Annulated Perylene‐Substituted and Fused Porphyrin Dimers with Intense Near‐Infrared One‐Photon and Two‐Photon Absorption

Fusion of two N‐annulated perylene (NP) units with a fused porphyrin dimer along the S₀–S₁ electronic transition moment axis has resulted in new near‐infrared (NIR) dyes 1 a / 1 b with very intense absorption (ε>1.3×10⁵ M ^?1 cm^?1) beyond 1250 nm. Both compounds displayed moderate NIR fluorescence with fluorescence quantum yields of 4.4×10^?6 and 6.0×10^?6 for 1 a and 1 b , respectively. The NP‐substituted porphyrin dimers 2 a / 2 b have also been obtained by controlled oxidative coupling and cyclodehydrogenation, and they showed superimposed absorptions of the fused porphyrin dimer and the NP chromophore. The excited‐state dynamics of all of these compounds have been studied by femtosecond transient absorption measurements, which revealed porphyrin dimer‐like behaviour. These new chromophores also exhibited good nonlinear optical susceptibility with large two‐photon absorption cross‐sections in the NIR region due to extended π‐conjugation. Time‐dependent density functional theory calculations have been performed to aid our understanding of their electronic structures and absorption spectra.     

Highly Pure Synthesis,Spectral Assignments,and Two‐Photon Properties of Cruciform Porphyrin Pentamers Fused with Benzene Units

Tetrameric porphyrin formation of 2‐hydroxymethylpyrrole fused with porphyrins through a bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene unit gave bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene‐fused porphyrin pentamers. Thermal conversion of the pentamers gave fully π‐conjugated cruciform porphyrin pentamers fused with benzene units in quantitative yields. UV/Vis spectra of fully π‐conjugated porphyrin pentamers showed one very strong Q absorption and were quite different from those of usual porphyrins. From TD‐DFT calculations, the HOMO level is 0.49 eV higher than the HOMO?1 level. The LUMO and LUMO+1 levels are very close and are lower by more than 0.27 eV than those of other unoccupied MOs. The strong Q absorption was interpreted as two mutually orthogonal single‐electron transitions (683 nm: 86 %, HOMO→LUMO; 680 nm: 86 %, HOMO→LUMO+1). The two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross section value (σ⁽²⁾) of the benzene‐fused porphyrin pentamer was estimated to be 3900 GM at 1500 nm, which is strongly correlated with a cruciform molecular structure with multidirectional π‐conjugation pathways.     

Synthesis and characterization of new π‐conjugated polymers containing 1,8‐naphthyridine in the main chain: Role of the 1,8‐naphthyridine unit in π‐conjugated polymers

Alternating π‐conjugated copolymers of 1,8‐naphthyridine‐2,6‐diyl ( 1,8‐Nap ) with 9,9‐dioctylfluorene‐2,7‐diyl ( P(Flu‐Ph‐1,8‐Nap) ) and 2,5‐didodecyloxy‐1,4‐phenylene ( P(ROPh‐Ph‐1,8‐Nap) ) have been synthesized by Pd‐catalyzed organometallic polycondensation. The copolymers showed UV‐vis absorption peaks at around 390 nm in o‐dichlorobenzene. The polymers were photoluminescent both in o‐dichlorobenzene and in the solid state. In o‐dichlorobenzene, the emission peaks of P(Flu‐Ph‐1,8‐Nap) and P(ROPh‐Ph‐1.,8‐Nap) appeared at λ_EM = 440 and 471 nm, with quantum yields of 87% and 66%, respectively. Electrochemical data revealed that 1,8‐Nap behaved as a typical electron‐accepting unit. When P(Flu‐Ph‐1,8‐Nap) was treated with 10‐camphorsulfonic acid, the emission peak shifted to λ_EM = 598 nm. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Luminescent Quadrupolar Borazine Oligomers: Synthesis,Photophysics, and Two‐Photon Absorption Properties

A set of monodisperse bent donor–acceptor–donor‐type conjugated borazine oligomers, BnNn+1 (n=1–4), incorporating electron‐rich triarylamine donor and electron‐deficient triarylborane acceptor units has been prepared through an iterative synthetic approach that takes advantage of highly selective silicon–boron and tin–boron exchange reactions. The effect of chain elongation on the electrochemical, one‐ and two‐photon properties and excited‐state photodynamics has been investigated. Strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) from the arylamine donors to boryl‐centered acceptor sites results in emissions with high quantum yields (Φ_fl>0.5) in the range of 400–500 nm. Solvatochromic effects lead to solvent shifts as large as ～70 nm for the shortest member (n=1) and gradually decrease with chain elongation. The oligomers exhibit strong two‐photon absorption (2PA) in the visible spectral region with 2PA cross sections as large as 1410 GM (n=4), and broadband excited‐state absorption (ESA) attributed to long‐lived singlet–singlet and radical cation/anion absorption. The excited‐state dynamics also show sensitivity to the solvent environment. Electrochemical observations and DFT calculations (B3LYP/6‐31G*) reveal spatially separated HOMO and LUMO levels resulting in highly fluorescent oligomers with strong ICT character. The BnNn+1 oligomers have been used to demonstrate the detection of cyanide anions with association constants of log K>7.