Alignment and Dynamic Inversion of Planar Chirality in Pillar[n]arenes

Pillar[n]arenes are symmetrical macrocyclic compounds composed of benzene panels with para-methylene linkages. Each panel usually exhibits planar chirality and prefers chirality-aligned states. Because of this feature, pillar[n]arenes are attractive scaffolds for chiroptical materials that are easy to prepare and optically resolve and show intense circular dichroism (CD) signals. In addition, rotation of the panels endows the chirality of pillar[n]arenes with a dynamic nature. The chirality in tubular oligomers and supramolecular assemblies sometimes show time- and procedure-dependent alignment phenomena. Furthermore, the CD signals of some pillar[n]arenes respond to the addition of chiral guests when their dynamic chirality is coupled with host–guest properties. By using diastereomeric pillar[n]arenes with additional chiral structures, the response can also be caused by achiral guests and changes of the environment, providing molecular sensors.     

Resonance Raman spectra of metalloporphyrins. On the methine-bridge vibrations of ferric octaethylporphyrins and its α′, β′, γ′, and δ′ deutero derivatives

Raman spectra of Fe³⁺ and Pd²⁺ octaethylporphyrin (OEP) and their α′, β′, γ′, and δ′ deutero derivatives were measured with the 5145, 4880 and 4765 Å lines of an Ar ion laser. Raman bands due to methine-bridge stretching vibrations were assigned and their vibrational amplitudes were calculated from the observed frequency shifts on deuterium substitution of methine-bridge hydrogens. These vibrations correspond to the spin-state sensitive Raman bands of heme proteins. On the basis of symmetry considerations and the observed polarizations, vibrational assignments of other Raman bands were made.     

Control of Circularly Polarized Luminescence by Orientation of Stacked π‐Electron Systems

Planar chiral building blocks based on 4,7,12,15‐tetrasubstituted [2.2]paracyclophanes were obtained via a synthetic route involving an optical resolution step. Planar chiral enantiomers, comprising two fluorophores that were stacked to form a V‐shaped higher‐ordered structure, were synthesized from these building blocks. The V‐shaped molecules emitted intense circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). Their chiroptical properties were compared with those of X‐shaped molecules bearing the same two fluorophores stacked together. The CPL sign of the X‐shaped molecule was opposite to that of the V‐shaped molecule, which is supported by the theoretical results, indicating that the CPL sign can be controlled by the orientation of the stacked fluorophores.     

Thermally Responsive Poly(ethylene oxide)-Based Polyrotaxanes Bearing Hydrogen-Bonding Pillar[5]arene Rings**

Poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEOs) are useful polymers with good water solubility, biological compatibility, and commercial availability. PEOs with various end groups were threaded into pillar[5]arene rings in a mixture of water and methanol to afford pseudopolyrotaxanes. Corresponding polyrotaxanes were also constructed by capping COOH-terminated pseudopolyrotaxanes with bulky amines, in which multiple hydrogen bonds involving the pillar[5]arene OH groups were critically important to prevent dethreading. The number of threaded ring components could be rationally controlled in these materials, providing a simple and versatile method to tune the mechanical and thermal properties. Specifically, a polyrotaxane with a high-molecular-weight axle became elastic upon heating above the melting point of PEOs and exhibited temperature-dependent shape memory property because of the topological confinement and crosslinked hydrogen bonds.     

Synthesis of polymers having photocrosslinkable moieties for second-order nonlinear optics

Second-order non-linear optical polymers having photocrosslinkable moieties were synthesized by cationic polymerization of monomer (I) and monomer (II). The polymerization proceeded rapidly to give linear polymers in high yields. Monomer reactivity ratios were calculated to be r₁ = 0.90 and r₂ = 0.96 (r₁r₂ = 0.86), indicating that these monomers copolymerized through the almost ideal copolymerization mechanism. The photocrosslinking reaction of an equimolar copolymer film underwent the conversion of up to ca. 70% upon irradiation with a 500 W high-presure mercury lamp for 5 min. The electric field induced polar orientation of the chromophores (pendant 4-nitrophenyloxy groups) in a photocrosslinked polymer was stable for more than 10 days. This polymer exhibits a nonlinear coefficient d₃₃ of 5.6 × 10^-10 esu measured at a pumping wavelength of 1064 nm.     

Atomic layer epitaxy of AlP and (AlP)n(GaP)n superlattice using ethyldimethylamine alane as a new aluminum source

Atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) of AlP was realized using ethyldimethylamine alane (EDMAAl) as a new Al source. Self-limiting growth of AlP took place at one and two monolayers per ALE cycle. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy revealed that the amounts of incorporated impurities (carbon, hydrogen and oxygen) in ALE-grown AlP layers was greatly suppressed by using the new Al source, to nearly the same levels as in high-quality MOVPE-grown layers. We also achieved the successful ALE growth of (AlP)_n(GaP)_n short-period superlattices (SLs), taking advantage of the overlapping temperature windows of ALE-GaP and ALE-AlP. X-ray diffraction measurements showed reasonably good interface abruptness of SLs as low as 3. The PL emission peak from SLs involving Al-containing layers was observed in ALE growth for the first time.     

Diffraction-Based Spatial Light Modulation: Transverse Linear Electrooptic Effect in Polymers

We propose a new type of spatial light modulator using nonlinear organic polymer film as a phase modulation element. Using polymer poly-Disperse Red-19 Toluendiiso-cyanate, a more than 150:1 contrast ratio has been realized for electrical addressing in transverse geometry.     

Plasmas as an exotic target for heavy ion physics and spectroscopy

Following a short introduction of heavy ion collision physics relevant to fusion plasma researches and related to fusion technology, some exotic features of plasmas as a target for heavy ion collisions and spectroscopy have been discussed.     

"Clickable" pillar[5]arenes

Introduction of bulky substituents such as benzyl and pyrenyl groups using click reactions inhibited or slowed the rotation of the units on the NMR chemical shift timescale. The perpyrenylated pillar[5]arene showed a thermally-responsive excimer emission, but a unit model of the perpyrenylated pillar[5]arene did not exhibit such a response.