Electrochromics by Intramolecular Redox Switching of Single Bonds

Molecular Wires with Controllable π-Delocalization Incorporating Redox-Triggered π-Conjugated Switching Units

A perfluorobiphenyl-2,2'-diyl dication and its corresponding dihydrophenanthrene-type electron donor are interconvertible upon two-electron transfer. Redox-triggered C-C bond-formation/cleavage caused a drastic change in the torsion angle of the biphenyl unit. Thus, π-delocalization ON/OFF switching was observed as a change in the UV absorption upon electrolysis of the linearly extended analogue with two phenylethynyl groups. A further extended π-system with a molecular length of ca. 3.5 nm, which has two switching units, was synthesized. Spectroelectrograms as well as voltammetric analyses showed that the two units act nearly simultaneously because of the very small inter-unit electrostatic repulsion in the tetracationic state. Thus, the present pair is a promising candidate as a switching unit for "molecular wires" with controllable π-delocalization, in which a higher ON/OFF ratio of delocalization could be realized by incorporating multiple switching units.

Assembly of an Axially Chiral Dynamic Redox System with a Perfluorobiphenyl Skeleton into Dumbbell- or Tripod-type Electron Donors

The incorporation of F atoms endows a diethenylbiphenyl-based electron donor with configurational stability and SN Ar reactivity. The former enables the dynamic redox pair of (Rax)-1/(Rax ,R,R)-1(2+) to exhibit drastic UV/Vis and CD spectral changes upon electrolysis, whereas the latter makes it possible for (Rax)-1 to serve as a useful chiral synthon for the production of larger assemblies [(Rax ,Rax)-2 d,p,m and (Rax ,Rax ,Rax)-3] containing two or three dyrex units. These dyads and triad also exhibit a clean electrochiroptical response with isosbestic points owing to one-wave multi-electron transfer.

Multichromophoric electrochromic polymers: colour tuning of conjugated polymers through the side chain functionalization approach

Organic electrochromic materials have gained constantly increasing interest over the years with respect to their inorganic counterpart due to essentially two distinctive characteristics: their processability through solution based low cost processes and their wide colour palette. Such characteristic features enabled their application in displays, smart windows, electronic paper and ophthalmic lenses. Alongside the established concept of donor-acceptor polymers, side chain functionalized multichromophoric polymers are gaining attention as a highly performing and synthetically feasible alternative, particularly relevant to applications requiring a complete colourlessness in one of the accessible redox states of the material. The primary aim of the present article is to review all the results involving the tuning of the native electrochromic properties of simple conjugated polymers through the introduction of a discrete electrochromic molecule as a side chain substituent.

Electrochiroptical response of 2,2'-(2,2-diarylethenyl)binaphthyl-type electron donors that undergo reversible C-C bond formation/breaking upon two-electron transfer

2,2'-[2,2-Bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)ethenyl]biphenyl (1) is a strong electron donor that undergoes oxidative C-C bond formation to give a stable dication rac-2(2+), the 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene derivative substituted with two bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)methylium chromophores. This dication salt regenerates the starting diolefin 1 by reductive C-C bond breaking, thus realizing a new electrochromic system with high electrochemical bistability and a vivid change in color from yellow to deep blue. Similarly, the binaphthylic diolefin rac-3 and the helicene-type dication rac-4(2+) are interconvertible upon two-electron transfer. Both the UV-vis and CD spectra changed drastically upon electrochemical transformation between optically pure 3 and 4(2+), which represents a new electrochiroptical system.