Si-based two-dimensional photonic crystals coupled to one-dimensional Bragg mirrors

Planar two-dimensional photonic crystals can be combined with a one-dimensional Bragg mirror to control the quality factor and out-of-plane coupling of optical Bloch modes. We have investigated the optical properties of such structures fabricated on silicon. The photonic crystals are fabricated in the upper Si layer deposited on top of quarter-wave thick SiO₂-polycrystalline Si layers. The optical properties are probed by the room-temperature photoluminescence of Ge/Si self-assembled islands as an internal source. We show that an enhancement of the quality factor can be obtained by controlling the thickness of the silicon upper layer in which the two-dimensional photonic crystal is etched and by controlling the air filling factor of the photonic crystal. Quality factors of 2200 around 1100 nm are obtained by this method for defect-free photonic crystals with a square lattice pattern. The experimental results are supported by three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations of the radiated modes for the investigated structures.     

Unprecedented formation of an acetamidate-bridged dinuclear platinum(II) terpyridyl complex-correlation of luminescence properties with the crystal forms and dimerization studies in solution

An [corrected] acetamidate-bridged dinuclear platinum(ii) terpyridyl complex has been isolated in two crystal forms, a red form and a dark form, with different luminescence properties; electronic absorption, emission and (1)H NMR studies revealed the presence of a dimerization process in the solution state.     

Luminescent phosphine gold(I) thiolates: correlation between crystal structure and photoluminescent properties in [R3PAu{SC(OMe)=NC6H4NO2-4}] (R = Et, Cy, Ph) and [(Ph2P-R-PPh2){AuSC(OMe)=NC6H4NO2-4}2] (R = CH2, (CH2)2, (CH2)3, (CH2)4, Fc)

X-ray crystallography shows the gold atoms in [R3PAu{SC(OMe)=NC6H4NO2-4}] (R = Et, Cy, Ph; 1-3, respectively) and [(Ph2P-R-PPh2){AuSC(OMe)=NC6H4NO2-4}(2)] (R = CH2, (CH2)2, (CH2)3, (CH2)4, Fc; 4-8, respectively) are linearly coordinated by phosphorus and thiolate-sulfur; weak intramolecular Au...O interactions are featured in all structures. The smaller ethyl substituents in 1 allow for supramolecular association via Au...S and Au...Au interactions that are not found in 2 and 3, which contain larger phosphorus-bound Cy and Ph groups, respectively. Intramolecular Au...Au interactions are found in the dppm, dppe, dppp, and Fc structures but not in the dppp analogue, for which an anti conformation was found. The structures have been correlated with the results from photophysical study conducted in the solid state. Thus, photoexcitation of 1-7 with lambda > 350 in the solid state and in solution produces green and blue luminescence, respectively. The spectra in each medium are remarkably similar to each other, and so the emission energy and excitation maxima observed for 1-7 appear to be independent of the nature of the ancillary phosphines, as well as the presence or absence of Au...Au interactions, either intermolecularly or intramolecularly.     

A novel class of phosphorescent gold(III) alkynyl-based organic light-emitting devices with tunable colour

A novel class of luminescent cyclometalated gold(III) alkynyl complexes has been demonstrated to possess EL properties and has been employed in the roles of electrophosphorescent emitters or dopants of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with high brightness and efficiency.     

Photochromic oligothienoacene derivatives with photo-switchable luminescence properties and computational studies

Photochromic thieno[3,2-b]thiophenes and dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]thiophene with photo-switchable luminescence properties have been synthesized using a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction; their electronic structures, and photochromic and luminescence behaviour have also been studied.     

Luminescent alkynylplatinum(II) complexes of 2,6-bis(N-alkylbenzimidazol-2'-yl)pyridine-type ligands with ready tunability of the nature of the emissive states by solvent and electronic property modulation

A new class of luminescent alkynylplatinum(II) complexes of tridentate bis(N-alkylbenzimidazol-2'-yl)pyridines (bzimpy), [Pt(R,R'-bzimpy)(C[triple chemical bond]C-R')]X (X=PF(6), OTf), and one of their chloro precursor complexes, [Pt(R,R'-bzimpy)Cl]PF(6), have been synthesized and characterized; one of the alkynyl complexes has also been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Electrochemical studies showed that the oxidation wave is alkynyl ligand-based in nature with some mixing of the metal center-based contribution, whereas the two quasi-reversible reduction couples are mainly bzimpy-based reductions. The electronic absorption and luminescence properties of the complexes have also been investigated. In solution, the high-energy and intense absorption bands are assigned as the pi-pi* intraligand (IL) transitions of the bzimpy and alkynyl ligands, whereas the low-energy and moderately intense absorptions are assigned to an admixture of metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) (dpi(Pt)-->pi*(R,R'-bzimpy)) and ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer (LLCT) (pi(C[triple chemical bond]C-R')-->pi*(R,R'-bzimpy)) transitions. Upon variation of the electronic effects of the arylalkynyl ligands, vibronic-structured or structureless emission bands, originating from triplet metal-perturbed intraligand (IL) or an admixture of triplet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) and ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer (LLCT) excited states respectively, were observed in solution. Interestingly, two of the complexes showed a dual luminescence that was sensitive to the polarity of the solvents. Upon cooling from 298 K to 155 K, drastic color, UV/Vis, and luminescence changes were observed in a butyronitrile solution of 1, and were ascribed to the formation of aggregate species through PtPt and pi-pi stacking interactions. DFT and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations have been performed to verify and elucidate the results of the electrochemical and photophysical properties.     

Selective visible light reduction of carbon dioxide over iridium(III)-terpyridine photocatalysts

The CO₂ reduction reaction is an imperative piece of technology that closes the carbon cycle in many critical energy conversion and chemical manufacturing processes. Here, we report two new iridium (III) terpyridine-based photocatalysts capable of selective reduction of CO₂ to CO under visible light (λ ≥ 420 nm). The first photocatalyst, [Ir–COOH], was functionalized with the carboxyl group on the phenylpyridine, whereas the second, [Ir-PhCOOH], was attached to a phenyl spacer on the terpyridine. The [Ir-PhCOOH] was characterized by a higher extinction coefficient than [Ir–COOH], thus allowing more absorption of photons. Although both photocatalysts require two-electron activation, the [Ir-PhCOOH] is more readily activated as a result of the more negatively charged Ir center. These photocatalysts show exclusive selectivities in the production of CO. The turnover frequencies for [Ir–COOH] and [Ir-PhCOOH] were 19 and 10 h^?1, respectively, under visible light irradiation. The e-e-H-H pathway was identified as the most favorable, consisting of the rate-limiting step in the conversion of 1COOH to 1CO, and where the barrier is significantly lower for [Ir-PhCOOH] than for [Ir–COOH].     

Density matrix based time-dependent density functional theory and the solution of its linear response in real time domain

A density matrix based time-dependent density functional theory is extended in the present work. Chebyshev expansion is introduced to propagate the linear response of the reduced single-electron density matrix upon the application of a time-domain delta-type external potential. The Chebyshev expansion method is more efficient and accurate than the previous fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and removes a numerical divergence problem. The discrete Fourier transformation and filter diagonalization of the first-order dipole moment are implemented to determine the excited state energies. It is found that the filter diagonalization leads to highly accurate values for the excited state energies. Finally, the density matrix based time-dependent density functional is generalized to calculate the energies of singlet-triplet excitations.     

Room-temperature phosphorescence and energy transfer in luminescent multinuclear platinum(II) complexes of branched alkynyls

A series of luminescent branched platinum(II) alkynyl complexes, [1,3,5-{RC[triple bond]C(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]C-C6H4C[triple bond]C}3C6H3] (R=C6H5, C6H4OMe, C6H4Me, C6H4CF3, C5H4N, C6H4SAc, 1-napthyl (Np), 1-pyrenyl (Pyr), 1-anthryl-8-ethynyl (HC[triple bond]CAn)), [1,3-{PyrC[triple chemical bond]C(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}2-5-{(iPr)3SiC[triple bond]C}C6H3], and [1,3-{PyrC[triple bond]C(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}2-5-(HC[triple bond]C)C6H3], was successfully synthesized by using the precursors [1,3,5-{Cl(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}3C6H3] or [1,3-{Cl(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}2-5-{(iPr)3SiC[triple bond]C}C6H3]. The X-ray crystal structures of [1,3,5-{MeOC6H4C[triple bond]C(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}3C6H3] and [1,8-{Cl(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]C}2An] have been determined. These complexes were found to show long-lived emission in both solution and solid-state phases at room temperature. The emission origin of the branched complexes [1,3,5-{RC[triple bond]C(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}3C6H3] with R=C6H5, C6H4OMe, C6H4Me, C6H4CF3, C5H4N, and C6H4SAc was tentatively assigned to be derived from triplet states of predominantly intraligand (IL) character with some mixing of metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) (dpi(Pt)-->pi*(C[triple bond]CR)) character, while the emission origin of the branched complexes with polyaromatic alkynyl ligands, [1,3,5-{RC[triple bond]C(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}3C6H3] with R=Np, Pyr, or HC[triple bond]CAn, [1,3-{PyrC[triple bond]C(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}2-5-{(iPr)3SiC[triple bond]C}C6H3], [1,3-{PyrC[triple bond]C(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]CC6H4C[triple bond]C}2-5-(HC[triple bond]C)C6H3], and [1,8-{Cl(PEt3)2PtC[triple bond]C}2An], was tentatively assigned to be derived from the predominantly 3IL states of the respective polyaromatic alkynyl ligands, mixed with some 3MLCT (d(pi)(Pt)-->pi*(C[triple bond]CR)) character. By incorporating different alkynyl ligands into the periphery of these branched complexes, one could readily tune the nature of the lowest energy emissive state and the direction of the excitation energy transfer.     

Preparation, characterization, resistance to protein adsorption, and specific avidin-biotin binding of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers functionalized with oligo(ethylene glycol) on gold

Protein-resistant films derived from the fifth-generation poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (PAMAM G5) functionalized with oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) derivatives consisting of various ethylene glycol units (EG(n), n = 3, 4, and 6) were prepared on the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) on gold substrates. The resulting films were characterized by ellipsometry, contact angle goniometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). About 35% of the peripheral amines of the dendrimers were reacted with N-hydroxysuccinimide-terminated EG(n) derivatives (NHS-EG(n)). The dendrimer films showed improved stability over octadecanethiolate SAMs on gold in hot solvents, attributed to the formation of multiple amide bonds per PAMAM unit with underlying NHS-activated MUA monolayer. The EG(n)-attached PAMAM surfaces with n = 3 reduced the adsorption of fibrinogen to approximately 20% monolayer, whereas 2-3% for n = 4 or 6. The dendrimer films with various densities of EG(n) molecules on PAMAM surfaces were prepared by immersion of the NHS-terminated MUA-functionalized gold substrates in ethanolic solutions containing PAMAM and NHS-EG(n) of various mole ratios. The density (r) of the EG(n) molecules on the PAMAM surfaces is consistent with the mole ratio (r') of NHS-EG(n)/free amine of PAMAM in solutions. The resistance to protein adsorption of the resulting surfaces is correlated with the surface density and the length of the EG chains. At their respective r, the EG(n)-modified dendrimer films resisted approximately 95% adsorption of fibrinogen on gold surfaces. Finally, the specific binding of avidin to the approximately 5% and approximately 40% biotinylated EG3 dendrimers (surface density of biotin with respect to the total number of terminal amino groups on PAMAM G5) gave rise to about 50% and 100% surface coverage by avidin, respectively.