Höhere Acene: vielseitige organische Halbleiter

Maximizing field-effect mobility and solid-state luminescence in organic semiconductors

Conductive and emissive: organic transistors made from a simple styrylanthracene derivative have high charge mobility and high luminescence quantum yields. These properties are attributed to the lack of singlet fission, and challenge the idea that the efficient π interactions required for high mobility always lead to quenching of emission. The transistors emit blue electroluminescence and are stable during operation and storage.

Tetrachlorinated tetraazaperopyrenes (TAPPs): highly fluorescent dyes and semiconductors for air-stable organic n-channel transistors and complementary circuits

A range of 2,9-perfluoroalkyl-substituted tetraazaperopyrene (TAPP) derivatives (1-5) was synthesised by reacting 4,9-diamino-3,10-perylenequinone diimine (DPDI) with the corresponding carboxylic acid chloride or anhydride in the presence of a base. The reaction of compounds 1-4 with dichloroisocyanuric acid (DIC) in concentrated sulphuric acid resulted in the fourfold substitution of the tetraazaperopyrene core, yielding the 2,9-bisperfluoroalkyl-4,7,11,14-tetrachloro-1,3,8,10-tetraazaperopyrenes 6-9, respectively. The optical and electrochemical data demonstrate the drastic influence of the core substitution on the properties. All compounds are highly luminescent (fluorescence quantum yields of up to Φ=0.8). The LUMO energies of the tetrachlorinated TAPP derivatives (determined by cyclic voltammetry and computed by DFT calulations) were found to be below -4 eV. In the course of this work the performance of TAPP derivatives in organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) was investigated, and their n-channel characteristics with field-effect mobilities of up to 0.14 cm(2)  V(-1)  s(-1) and an on/off current ratio of >10(6) were confirmed. Long-term stabilities of 3-4 months under ambient conditions of the devices were established. Complementary inverters and ring oscillators with n-channel TFTs based on compound 8 and p-channel TFTs based on dinaphtho-[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) were fabricated on a glass substrate.

Influence of the number of anchoring groups on the electronic and mechanical properties of benzene-, anthracene- and pentacene-based molecular devices

One of the central issues of molecular electronics (ME) is the study of the molecule-metal electrode contacts, and their implications for the conductivity, charge-transport mechanism, and mechanical stability. In fact, stochastic on/off switching (blinking) reported in STM experiments is a major problem of single-molecule devices, and challenges the stability and reliability of these systems. Surprisingly, the ambiguous STM results all originate from devices that bind to the metallic electrode through a one-atom connection. In the present work, DFT is employed to study and compare the properties of a set of simple acenes that bind to metallic electrodes with an increasing number of connections, in order to determine whether the increasing numbers of anchoring groups have a direct repercussion on the stability of these systems. The conductivities of the three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are calculated, as well as their transmission spectra and current profiles. The thermal and mechanical stability of these systems is studied by pulling and pushing the metal-molecule connection. The results show that molecules with more than one connection per electrode exhibit greater electrical efficiency and current stability.

The influence of terminal push-pull substitution on the electronic structure and optical properties of pentacenes

The synthesis of 2,3-R(2)-9,10-(OMe)(2)-substituted pentacenes (R=OMe, F, Br, CN; 1-4) from 2,3-R(2)-9,10-dimethoxy-6,13-dihydro-6,13-ethanopentacene-15,16-diones (α-diketone-bridged precursors) by photochemically induced bis-decarbonylation (Strating-Zwanenburg reaction) is described. Under matrix-isolation conditions (solid Ar, 10 K) the S(1) transitions of 1 and 2 undergo hypsochromic and those of 3 and 4 bathochromic shifts compared to parent pentacene. The S(1) transition wavelengths correlate well with the difference of substituent parameters σ(p). A computational analysis of the excited states at the CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G** level of theory provides an assignment of the electronic transitions. Photolysis in solution at room temperature yields red [R=OMe (1)], blue [R=Br (3), F (2)], and green [R=CN (4)] pentacenes. The compounds are oxygen-sensitive and have low solubility, but their formation can be monitored by UV/Vis and, in the case of R=CN, also by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The S(1) transition in 4 does not show the typical pentacene fine structure in the electronic absorption spectrum. Photogeneration in the presence of oxygen leads to a number of photoproducts that could be identified by monitoring the reaction by (1)H NMR spectroscopy for R=OMe.

Lateral extension of π conjugation along the bay regions of bisanthene through a Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction

Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions at the bay regions of bisanthene (1) with dienophiles such as 1,4-naphthoquinone have been investigated. The products were submitted to nucleophilic addition followed by reductive aromatization reactions to afford the laterally extended bisanthene derivatives 2 and 3. Attempted synthesis of a larger expanded bisanthene 4 revealed an unexpected hydrogenation reaction at the last reductive aromatization step. Unusual Michael addition was observed on quinone 14, which was obtained by Diels-Alder reaction between 1 and 1,4-anthraquinone. Compounds 1-3 exhibited near-infrared (NIR) absorption and emission with high-to-moderate fluorescent quantum yields. Their structures and absorption spectra were studied by density function theory and non-planar twisted structures were calculated for 2 and 3. All compounds showed amphoteric redox behavior with multiple oxidation/reduction waves. Oxidative titration with SbCl(5) gave stable radical cations, and the process was followed by UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopic measurements. Their photostability was measured and correlated to their different geometries and electronic structures.

Triazole, benzotriazole, and naphthotriazole as copper corrosion inhibitors: I. Molecular electronic and adsorption properties

The gas-phase adsorption of 1,2,3-triazole, benzotriazole, and naphthotriazole-considered as corrosion inhibitors-on copper surfaces was studied and characterized using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We find that the molecule-surface bond strength increases with increasing molecular size, thus following the sequence: triazole<benzotriazole<naphthotriazole. This trend is explained in terms of molecular electronegativity and chemical hardness, which decrease monotonously as the molecular size increases. While the electronegativity of triazole is almost degenerate with the work function of Cu(111) surface, the electronegativity of larger acenotriazoles is smaller. The difference in electronegativity between the Cu(111) and the acenotriazoles thus increases with increasing the molecular size, which, together with decreasing the molecular hardness, results in larger molecule-to-metal electron charge transfer and stronger molecule-surface bonds.