Thienoacene-based organic semiconductors

Sulfur-Bridged Cationic Diazulenomethenes: Formation of Charge-Segregated Assembly with High Charge-Carrier Mobility

Sulfur-bridged cationic diazulenomethenes were synthesized and exhibited high stability even under basic conditions due to the delocalization of positive charge over the whole π-conjugated skeleton. As a result of the effective delocalization and the absence of orthogonally oriented bulky substituents, the cationic π-conjugated skeletons formed a π-stacked array with short interfacial distances. A derivative with SbF6- as a counter anion formed a charge-segregated assembly in the crystalline state, rather than the generally favored charge-by-charge arrangement of oppositely charged species based on electrostatic interactions. Theoretical calculations suggested that the destabilization caused by electrostatic repulsion between two positively charged π-conjugated skeletons is compensated by the dispersion forces. In addition, the counter anion SbF6- played a role in regulating the molecular alignment through F⋯H-C and F-S interactions, which resulted in the charge-segregated alignment of the cationic π-skeletons. This characteristic assembled structure gave rise to a high charge-carrier mobility of 1.7 cm2 V-1 s-1 as determined using flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity.

Catalytic asymmetric functionalization and dearomatization of thiophenes

The asymmetric synthesis of thiophene-derived compounds, including catalytic asymmetric dearomatization of thiophene and atroposelective synthesis of benzothiophene derivatives, has rarely been reported. In this work, the asymmetric transformation of the thiophene motif is investigated. Through the rational design of substrates with a thiophene structure, by using the vinylidene ortho-quinone methide (VQM) intermediate as a versatile tool, axially chiral naphthyl-benzothiophene derivatives and thiophene-dearomatized chiral spiranes were obtained in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities.

Impact of hydrophilic side chains on the thin film transistor performance of a benzothieno-benzothiophene derivative

Side-chain engineering in molecular semiconductors provides a versatile toolbox for precisely manipulating the material's processability, crystallographic properties, as well as electronic and optoelectronic characteristics. This study explores the impact of integrating hydrophilic side chains, specifically oligoethylene glycol (OEG) units, into the molecular structure of the small molecule semiconductor, 2,7-bis(2(2-methoxy ethoxy)ethoxy) benzo[b]benzo[4,5] thieno[2,3-d] thiophene (OEG-BTBT). The investigation includes a comprehensive analysis of thin film morphology and crystallographic properties, along with the optimization of deposition parameters for improving the device performance. Despite the anticipated benefits, such as enhanced processability, our investigation into OEG-BTBT-based organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) reveals suboptimal performance marked by a low effective charge carrier mobility, a low on/off ratio, and a high threshold voltage. The study unveils bias stress effects and device degradation attributed to the high ionization energy of OEG-BTBT alongside the hydrophilic nature of the ethylene-glycol moieties, which lead to charge trapping at the dielectric interface. Our findings underscore the need for a meticulous balance between electronic properties and chemical functionalities in molecular semiconductors to achieve stable and efficient performance in organic electronic devices.

Large-scale 2D heterostructures from hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks and graphene with distinct Dirac and flat bands

The current strategies for building 2D organic-inorganic heterojunctions involve mostly wet-chemistry processes or exfoliation and transfer, leading to interface contaminations, poor crystallizing, or limited size. Here we show a bottom-up procedure to fabricate 2D large-scale heterostructure with clean interface and highly-crystalline sheets. As a prototypical example, a well-ordered hydrogen-bonded organic framework is self-assembled on the highly-oriented-pyrolytic-graphite substrate. The organic framework adopts a honeycomb lattice with faulted/unfaulted halves in a unit cell, resemble to molecular "graphene". Interestingly, the topmost layer of substrate is self-lifted by organic framework via strong interlayer coupling, to form effectively a floating organic framework/graphene heterostructure. The individual layer of heterostructure inherits its intrinsic property, exhibiting distinct Dirac bands of graphene and narrow bands of organic framework. Our results demonstrate a promising approach to fabricate 2D organic-inorganic heterostructure with large-scale uniformity and highly-crystalline via the self-lifting effect, which is generally applicable to most of van der Waals materials.

Visible-light-induced photocatalyst-free cascade cyclization of 3-(2-(ethynyl)phenyl)quinazolinones to sulfonated quinolino[2,1-b]quinazolinones

A visible-light-induced K2S2O8-promoted cascade sulfonation/cyclization reaction was established using 3-(2-(ethynyl)phenyl)quinazolinones as efficient substrates under mild conditions. A series of sulfonated quinolino[2,1-b]quinazolinones were successfully synthesized under transition-metal- and photocatalyst-free conditions. Notably, this strategy has the advantages of room temperature and simple operation, easy scale-up, and good functional group tolerance.

How to Stabilize Large Soluble (Hetero-)Acenes

The higher acenes and azaacenes (>(aza)heptacenes) are fascinating, yet elusive materials. Their reactivity and sensitivity increases concomitantly with their size. In recent years, confinement techniques, that is isolation of acenes in matrices and on surfaces, has surpassed solution-based chemistry with respect to accessing the larger (hetero)acenes at the price of the accessibility of no more than a couple thousands of molecules. Isolating acenes in bulk quantities and in processable form is vital for applications in organic electronics as well as from a viewpoint from basic research. In this Perspective, we will discuss after a short historical outline their degradation pathways, and then will selectively highlight recent efforts in stabilizing soluble (aza)acenes.

A Domino Protocol toward High-performance Unsymmetrical Dibenzo[d,d']thieno[2,3-b;4,5-b']dithiophenes Semiconductors

Unsymmetric organic semiconductors have many advantages such as good solubility, rich intermolecular interactions for potential various optoelectronic applications. However, their synthesis is more challenging due to intricate structures thus normally suffering tedious synthesis. Herein, we report a trisulfur radical anion (S3⋅-) triggered domino thienannulation strategy for the synthesis of dibenzo[d,d']thieno[2,3-b;4,5-b']dithiophenes (DBTDTs) using readily available 1-halo-2-ethynylbenzenes as starting materials. This domino protocol features no metal catalyst and the formation of six C-S and one C-C bonds in a one-pot reaction. Mechanistic study revealed a unique domino radical anion pathway. Single crystal structure analysis of unsymmetric DBTDT shows that its unique unsymmetric structure endows rich and multiple weak S⋅⋅⋅S interactions between molecules, which enables the large intermolecular transfer integrals of 86 meV and efficient charge transport performance with a carrier mobility of 1.52 cm2 V-1 s-1. This study provides a facile and highly efficient synthetic strategy for more high-performance unsymmetric organic semiconductors.

Aromaticity in the Electronic Ground and Lowest Triplet States of Molecules with Fused Thiophene Rings

Analysis of the variations of the off-nucleus isotropic magnetic shielding, σiso(r), around thiophene, thienothiophenes, dithienothiophenes and sulflowers in their electronic ground (S0) and lowest triplet (T1) states reveals that some of the features of aromaticity and bonding in these molecules do not fit in with predictions based on the popular Hückel's and Baird's rules. Despite having 4n π electrons, the S0 states of the sulflowers are shown to be aromatic, due to the local aromaticities of the individual thiophene rings. To reduce its T1 antiaromaticity, the geometry of thiophene changes considerably between S0 and T1: In addition to losing planarity, the carbon-carbon two 'double' and one 'single' bonds in S0 turn into two 'single' and one 'double' bonds in T1. Well-defined Baird-style aromaticity reversals are observed between the S0 and T1 states of only three of the twelve thiophene-based compounds investigated in this work, in contrast, the sulflower with six thiophene rings which is weakly aromatic in S0 becomes more aromatic in T1. The results suggest that the change in aromaticity between the S0 and T1 states in longer chains of fused rings is likely to affect mostly the central ring (or the pair of central rings); rings sufficiently far away from the central ring(s) can retain aromatic character.

Control of Polar/Antipolar Layered Organic Semiconductors by the Odd-Even Effect of Alkyl Chain

Some rodlike organic molecules exhibit exceptionally high layered crystallinity when composed of a link between π-conjugated backbone (head) and alkyl chain (tail). These molecules are aligned side-by-side unidirectionally to form self-organized polar monomolecular layers, providing promising 2D materials and devices. However, their interlayer stacking arrangements have never been tunable, preventing the unidirectional arrangements of molecules in whole crystals. Here, it is demonstrated that polar/antipolar interlayer stacking can be systematically controlled by the alkyl carbon number n, when the molecules are designed to involve effectively weakened head-to-head affinity. They exhibit remarkable odd-even effect in the interlayer stacking: alternating head-to-head and tail-to-tail (antipolar) arrangement in odd-n crystals, and uniform head-to-tail (polar) arrangement in even-n crystals. The films show excellent field-effect transistor characteristics presenting unique polar/antipolar dependence and considerably improved subthreshold swing in the polar films. Additionally, the polar films present enhanced second-order nonlinear optical response along normal to the film plane. These findings are key for creating polarity-controlled optoelectronic materials and devices.

Crystal-Structure Control of Molecular Semiconductors by Methylthiolation: Toward Ultrahigh Mobility

ConspectusThe crystal structure of organic semiconductors has been regarded as one of the crucial factors for realizing high-performance electronic devices, such as organic field-effect transistors. However, although the control of crystal structures of organic semiconductors has been examined in the last two decades of intensive efforts of the development of organic semiconductors, active measures to control crystal structures enabling high carrier mobility are still limited. In 2016, our research group noticed that regioselective methylthiolation could provide a selective crystal structure change from an ordinary herringbone structure to a pitched π-stacking structure, similar to the crystal structure of rubrene, in the benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) system. Following this serendipitous finding, our group systematically investigated the relationship between the molecular and crystal structures of a range of methylthiolated aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds.This Account provides a comprehensive overview of our research efforts and advancements in the development of methylthiolated small-molecule-based organic semiconductors (molecular semiconductors). We first describe the outline of the past development of molecular semiconductors, focusing on the types of crystal structures of high-performance molecular semiconductors. Then, we describe our findings on the drastic crystal structure change in the BDT system upon methylthiolation, detailing the causes of the change in terms of the intermolecular contacts and intermolecular interaction energies. This is followed by the confirmation of the generality of the crystal-structure change by methylthiolation of a series of acene and heteroacenes, where the herringbone structure in the parent system is unexceptionally transformed into the pitched π-stacking structure, a promising crystal structure for high-mobility molecular semiconductors well exemplified by the prototypical molecular semiconductor, rubrene. In fact, the methylthiolated anthradithiophene afforded comparable high mobility to rubrene in single-crystal field-effect transistors. Then, we demonstrate that the sandwich herringbone structures of peri-condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including pyrene, perylene, and peropyrene, change into brickwork crystal structures upon methylthiolation and that, among these compounds, very promising molecular semiconductors, methylthiolated pyrene and peropyrene, showing ultrahigh mobility of 30 cm2 V s-1, are realized.Through the studies, by gaining insights into the underlying mechanisms driving the crystal structure changes, we lay a strong foundation for tackling challenges related to controlling the crystal structures and developing high-performance molecular semiconductors. This will be a distinct approach from the past activities in the development of molecular semiconductors that mainly focused on molecules themselves, including their synthesis, properties, and characterization. We thus anticipate that our findings and the present Account will open the door to a new era of the development of molecular semiconductors.

Possible NLO response and electrical/charge transfer capabilities of natural anthraquinones as p-type organic semiconductors: a DFT approach

CONTEXT

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) have attracted a great deal of interest in recent days. There are various types of OSCs, among which small molecules have various inherent benefits. Further research is needed to advance this new kind of material because the field is still developing, and the current focus is on creating small molecules that exist naturally for OSCs. OSCs with nonlinear optical (NLO) characteristics offer a significant advantage over others. Thus, this study theoretically investigates naturally occurring anthraquinones such as chrysophanol and rhein as potential OSCs, as well as their NLO properties. The calculated properties include the ionization potential (IP), electron affinity (EA), and bandgap (Eg). The FMO energy levels together with the Eg, IP (8.17-8.53 eV), and EA (1.87-2.44 eV) suggest the semiconductor nature of the studied compounds. The calculated values of reorganization energy (λ) and transfer integrals (V) suggest the p-type character of both molecules. Rhein has the lowest λh (0.19 eV) and Eg (3.28 eV) and the highest Vh, predominantly because of its better p-type character. The polarizability increases due to the presence of an electron-withdrawing substituent, leading to better NLO performance for Rhein, which is supported by its lower LUMO and Eg values.

METHODS

The studied molecules were optimized with the DFT/B3LYP-GD3/6-31+G(d,p) method using Gaussian 16 software. The crystal structure was simulated with Materials Studio 7.0, and the V values were calculated with the ADF package. The CDD and DOS plots were obtained with the Multiwfn 3.8 program.

On surface synthesis of an eleven-ring sulfur-doped nonacene

Dithienoacenes with a heptacene core, heptaceno[2,3-b:11,12-b']bis[1]benzothiophene, have been synthesized through the combination of solution and surface assisted chemistry. The atomic composition, structural arrangement and electronic properties of the molecules on the Au(111) surface have been deeply explored by non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM), bond-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy (BR-STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) corroborated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our combined experiments reveal modifications induced by sulfur substitution.

Two-Dimensional Conjugated Polymers: a New Choice For Organic Thin-Film Transistors

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) as a vital component among transistors have shown great potential in smart sensing, flexible displays, and bionics due to their flexibility, biocompatibility and customizable chemical structures. Even though linear conjugated polymer semiconductors are common for constructing channel materials of OTFTs, advanced materials with high charge carrier mobility, tunable band structure, robust stability, and clear structure-property relationship are indispensable for propelling the evolution of OTFTs. Two-dimensional conjugated polymers (2DCPs), featured with conjugated lattice, tailorable skeletons, and functional porous structures, match aforementioned criteria closely. In this review, we firstly introduce the synthesis of 2DCP thin films, focusing on their characteristics compatible with the channels of OTFTs. Subsequently, the physics and operating mechanisms of OTFTs and the applications of 2DCPs in OTFTs are summarized in detail. Finally, the outlook and perspective in the field of OTFTs using 2DCPs are provided as well.

Benzothieno[3,2-b]thiophene-Based Noncovalent Conformational Lock Achieves Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiency over 24

Organic semiconductors with noncovalently conformational locks (OSNCs) are promising building blocks for hole-transporting materials (HTMs). However, lack of satisfied neighboring building blocks negatively impacts the optoelectronic properties of OSNCs-based HTMs and imperils the stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). To address this limitation, we introduce the benzothieno[3,2-b]thiophene (BTT) to construct a new OSNC, and the resulting HTM ZS13 shows improved intermolecular charge extraction/transport properties, proper energy level, efficient surface passivation effect. Consequently, the champion devices based on doped ZS13 yield an efficiency of 24.39 % and 20.95 % for aperture areas of 0.1 and 1.01 cm2 , respectively. Furthermore, ZS13 shows good thermal stability and the capability of inhibiting I- ion migration, thus, leading to enhanced device stability. The success in neighboring-group engineering can triggered a strong interest in developing thienoacene-based OSNCs toward efficient and stable PSCs.

Crystal-structure simulation of molecular semiconductors: brickwork-related crystal structures of methylthiolated peri-condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Despite the critical importance to carrier transport properties, studies on the control and prediction of crystal structures of molecular semiconductors have not been well-matured. To tackle this issue, we have developed "in silico crystallization" (ISC) protocols for simulating the brickwork (BW) crystal structures of methylchalcogenolated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, by carefully analyzing a BW-related polymorph of experimental crystal structures, an inclined brickwork (iBW) structure, we further extend the ISC protocol to simulate various BW-related crystal structures including iBW structures. Rational conditional branching in the simulation not only makes it possible to simulate eight polymorph candidates of methylchalcogenolated PAHs but also helps understand the relationship between the polymorphs. Furthermore, the relative favorability of each polymorphic candidate, i.e., the likelihood of the appearance among the polymorph candidates, can also be evaluated.

Tuning the electronic and optical properties of small organic acenedithiophene molecular crystals for photovoltaic applications: First principles calculations

Periodic density functional theory was employed to investigate the impact of chemical modifications on the properties of π-conjugated acenedithiophene molecular crystals. Here, we highlight the importance of the β-methylthionation effect, the position of the sulfur atoms of the thiacycle group and their size, and the number of central benzene rings in the chemical modification strategy. Our results show that the introduction of the methylthio groups at the β-positions of the thiophene and the additional benzene ring at the center of the BDT crystal structure are a promising strategy to improve the performance of organic semiconductors, as observed experimentally. We found that β-MT-ADT exhibits large charge carrier mobility, which is in good agreement with the experimental results and comparable to that of rubrene. In addition, the electronic and optical properties of these ambipolar materials suggest promising performances with β-MT-ADT > ADT >β-MT-NDT > NDT > BEDT-BDT >β-MT-BDT > BDT. Moreover, functionalization with thiacycle-fused sulfur atoms of different sizes and numbers improve the properties of BDT but is still less efficient than the methylthionation effect. Overall, our findings suggest a promising molecular modification strategy for possibly high performance ambipolar organic semiconducting materials.

An Unsymmetrical 5,15-Disubstituted Tetrabenzoporphyrin: Effect of Molecular Symmetry on the Packing Structure and Charge Transporting Property

Molecular design strategy to control the crystal structure of two-dimensional (2D) π-extended organic semiconductors has not been intensively explored. We synthesized an unsymmetric tetrabenzoporphyrin derivative (TIPS-Ph-BP) to demonstrate the effect of molecular symmetry on crystal packing. TIPS-Ph-BP formed an antiparallel slipped π-stacking and 2D herringbone-like structure. An unsymmetric structure would make 2D π-stacking more stable than a one-dimensional (1D) columnar structure to counteract steric and electronic imbalance in the crystal. As a result, TIPS-Ph-BP achieved the high hole mobility of 0.71 cm2 V-1 s-1.

Asymmetrically Functionalized Electron-Deficient π-Conjugated System for Printed Single-Crystalline Organic Electronics

Large-area single-crystalline thin films of n-type organic semiconductors (OSCs) fabricated via solution-processed techniques are urgently demanded for high-end electronics. However, the lack of molecular designs that concomitantly offer excellent charge-carrier transport, solution-processability, and chemical/thermal robustness for n-type OSCs limits the understanding of fundamental charge-transport properties and impedes the realization of large-area electronics. The benzo[de]isoquinolino[1,8-gh]quinolinetetracarboxylic diimide (BQQDI) π-electron system with phenethyl substituents (PhC2 -BQQDI) demonstrates high electron mobility and robustness but its strong aggregation results in unsatisfactory solubility and solution-processability. In this work, an asymmetric molecular design approach is reported that harnesses the favorable charge transport of PhC2 -BQQDI, while introducing alkyl chains to improve the solubility and solution-processability. An effective synthetic strategy is developed to obtain the target asymmetric BQQDI (PhC2 -BQQDI-Cn ). Interestingly, linear alkyl chains of PhC2 -BQQDI-Cn (n = 5-7) exhibit an unusual molecular mimicry geometry with a gauche conformation and resilience to dynamic disorders. Asymmetric PhC2 -BQQDI-C5 demonstrates excellent electron mobility and centimeter-scale continuous single-crystalline thin films, which are two orders of magnitude larger than that of PhC2 -BQQDI, allowing for the investigation of electron transport anisotropy and applicable electronics.

Synthesis of penta- and hexa(3,4-thienylene): size-dependent structural properties of cyclic oligothiophenes

Penta- and hexa(3,4-thienylene)s were synthesized as a potential precursor for thiophene-containing polyarenes, and the structures were determined via X-ray crystallography. The interconversion of thiophene rings is fast in penta(3,4-thienylene), and slow in hexa(3,4-thienylene) reflecting the activation energy for enantiomerization. Size-dependent bathochromic shifts were observed in UV-vis absorption spectra.

Synthetic exploration of electrophilic xanthylation via powerful N-xanthylphthalimides

Organic xanthates are broadly applied as synthetic intermediates and bioactive molecules in synthetic chemistry. Electrophilic xanthylation represents a promising approach but has rarely been explored mainly due to the lack of powerful electrophilic reagents. Herein, synthetic exploration of electrophilic xanthylation via powerful N-xanthylphthalimides was investigated. This strategy might provide a new avenue to less-concerned but meaningful electrophilic xanthylation in organic synthesis. With the help of these powerful reagents, electrophilic xanthylation of a wide range of substrates including aryl/alkenyl boronic acids, β-keto esters, 2-oxindole, and alkyl amines, as well as previously inaccessible phenols (first report) was achieved under mild reaction conditions. Notably, this simple electrophilic xanthylation of alkyl amine substrates will occur in the desulfuration reaction, consistent with the previously reported methods. Similarly, xanthamide and thioxanthate groups could also be transformed into desired nucleophiles via this electrophilic reagent strategy. The broad substrate scope, excellent functional group compatibility and late-stage functionalization of bioactive or functional molecules made them very attractive as general reagents which will allow rapid incorporation of SC(S)R (R = OEt, Oalkyl, NEt2 and SEt) into the target molecules.

An In-Situ Cyanidation Strategy To Access Tetracyanodiacenaphthoanthracene Diimides with High Electron Mobilities Exceeding 10 cm2 V-1 s-1

A family of novel highly π-extended tetracyano-substituted acene diimides, named as tetracyanodiacenaphthoanthracene diimides (TCDADIs), have been synthesized using a facile four-fold Knoevenagel condensation strategy. Unlike conventional cyano substitution reactions, our approach enables access to a large π-conjugated backbone with the in-situ formation of four cyano substitutents at room temperature while avoiding extra cyano-functionalization reactions. TCDADIs decorated with different N-alkyl substituents present good solubility, near-coplanar backbones, good crystallinity, and low-lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies of -4.33 eV, all of which contribute to desirable electron-transport performance when applied in organic field-effect transistors (OFET). The highest electron mobility of an OFET based on a 2-hexyldecyl-substituted TCDADI single crystal reaches 12.6 cm2  V-1  s-1 , which is not only among the highest values for the reported n-type organic semiconductor materials (OSMs) but also exceeds that of most n-type OSMs decorated with imide units.

Highly Ordered Small Molecule Organic Semiconductor Thin-Films Enabling Complex, High-Performance Multi-Junction Devices

Organic semiconductors have opened up many new electronic applications, enabled by properties like flexibility, low-cost manufacturing, and biocompatibility, as well as improved ecological sustainability due to low energy use during manufacturing. Most current devices are made of highly disordered thin-films, leading to poor transport properties and, ultimately, reduced device performance as well. Here, we discuss techniques to prepare highly ordered thin-films of organic semiconductors to realize fast and highly efficient devices as well as novel device types. We discuss the various methods that can be implemented to achieve such highly ordered layers compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing processes and suitable for complex devices. A special focus is put on approaches utilizing thermal treatment of amorphous layers of small molecules to create crystalline thin-films. This technique has first been demonstrated for rubrene─an organic semiconductor with excellent transport properties─and extended to some other molecular structures. We discuss recent experiments that show that these highly ordered layers show excellent lateral and vertical mobilities and can be electrically doped to achieve high n- and p-type conductivities. With these achievements, it is possible to integrate these highly ordered layers into specialized devices, such as high-frequency diodes or completely new device principles for organics, e.g., bipolar transistors.

Computational Approaches for Organic Semiconductors: From Chemical and Physical Understanding to Predicting New Materials

While a complete understanding of organic semiconductor (OSC) design principles remains elusive, computational methods─ranging from techniques based in classical and quantum mechanics to more recent data-enabled models─can complement experimental observations and provide deep physicochemical insights into OSC structure-processing-property relationships, offering new capabilities for in silico OSC discovery and design. In this Review, we trace the evolution of these computational methods and their application to OSCs, beginning with early quantum-chemical methods to investigate resonance in benzene and building to recent machine-learning (ML) techniques and their application to ever more sophisticated OSC scientific and engineering challenges. Along the way, we highlight the limitations of the methods and how sophisticated physical and mathematical frameworks have been created to overcome those limitations. We illustrate applications of these methods to a range of specific challenges in OSCs derived from π-conjugated polymers and molecules, including predicting charge-carrier transport, modeling chain conformations and bulk morphology, estimating thermomechanical properties, and describing phonons and thermal transport, to name a few. Through these examples, we demonstrate how advances in computational methods accelerate the deployment of OSCsin wide-ranging technologies, such as organic photovoltaics (OPVs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic thermoelectrics, organic batteries, and organic (bio)sensors. We conclude by providing an outlook for the future development of computational techniques to discover and assess the properties of high-performing OSCs with greater accuracy.

Precise Control of the Molecular Arrangement of Organic Semiconductors for High Charge Carrier Mobility

Organic semiconductors are well-known to exhibit high charge carrier mobility based on their spread of the π-orbital. In particular, the π-orbital overlap between neighboring molecules significantly affects their charge carrier mobility. This study elucidated the direct effect of subtle differences in the π-orbital overlap on charge carrier mobility, by precisely controlling only molecular arrangements without any chemical modifications. We synthesized disulfonic acid composed of a [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT) moiety, and prepared organic salts with four butylamine isomers. Regardless of the type of butylamine combined, electronic states of the constituent BTBT derivative were identical, and all BTBT arrangements were edge-to-face herringbone-type. However, depending on the difference of steric hindrance, center-to-center distances and dihedral angles between neighboring BTBT moieties slightly varied. Despite a similar arrangement, the photoconductivity of four organic salts differed by a factor of approximately two. Additionally, theoretical charge carrier mobilities from their crystal structures exhibited a strong correlation with their photoconductivity.

Modulating the Alkylation Position on Terminal Thiophene Ring of Naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b'] Bithieno[2,3-d] Thiophene (NBTT) for High-Performance Organic Optoelectronic Devices

Several thiophene terminated thienoacenes with high mobilities in organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) have been reported; however, the structure-property relationship of thiophene terminated thienoacenes was unclear, especially the impact of α or β position substitution of terminal thiophene ring on molecular packing and physicochemical properties. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of a six-ring-fused naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b'] bithieno[2,3-d] thiophene (NBTT) and its derivatives 2,8-dioctyl-naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b'] bithieno [2,3-d] thiophene (2,8-C8NBTT) and 3,9-dioctyl-naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b'] bithieno [2,3-d] thiophene (3,9-C8NBTT). It is found that the alkylation on terminal thiophene ring can effectively tune the molecular stacking from a cofacial herringbone stacking mode (NBTT) to layer-by-layer packing (2,8-C8NBTT and 3,9-C8NBTT). Impressively, a hopping to "band-like" charge transport mechanism evolution of vacuum deposited films is realized by modulating the alkylation position on the terminal thiophene rings. As a result, the OTFTs based on 2,8-C8NBTT characterized by a "band-like" transport presents the highest mobility of 3.58 cm² V^-1 s^-1 together with a remarkably high current on/off ratio around 10⁹. Furthermore, organic phototransistors (OPTs) based on 2,8-C8NBTT thin film also exhibits higher photosensitivity (P) of 2.0 × 10⁸, photoresponsivity (R) of 3.3 × 10³ A W^-1, and detectivity (D*) of 1.3 × 10¹⁶ Jones than those based on NBTT and 3,9-C8NBTT.

π-Extended Pyrrole-Fused Heteropine: Synthesis, Properties, and Application in Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Sulfur-embedded polycyclic aromatic compounds have been used as building blocks for numerous organic semiconductors over the past few decades. While the success is based on thiophene-containing compounds, aromatic compounds that contain thiepine, a sulfur-containing seven-membered-ring arene, has been less well investigated. Here we report the synthesis and properties of π-extended pyrrole-fused heteropine compounds such as thiepine and oxepine. A π-extended pyrrole-fused thiepine exhibited a "pitched π-stacking" structure in the crystal, and exhibited a high charge carrier mobility of up to 1.0 cm²  V^-1  s^-1 in single-crystal field-effect transistors.

Conjugation Extension and Halochromic Behaviors of S-Fused Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Bearing Cyclopenta[b]thiopyran Moieties

Three S-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bearing cyclopenta[b]thiopyran moieties have been designed and successfully synthesized. With the conjugation extension, the absorption onset of the longest PAH reaches 1110 nm. All the three S-fused PAHs exhibit significant halochromic properties in both solution and solid states. Upon protonation, the proton is incorporated on the cyclopentadiene ring while the positive charge is localized on the thiopyrylium ring. Moreover, no significant difference can be found for the two shorter PAHs upon the protonation by different organic acids, such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH), while the longest PAH can be only mono-protonated by TFA but di-protonated by stronger TfOH. Furthermore, after protonation, the non-emissive S-fused PAHs exhibit strong fluorescence and can be regenerated by simply neutralization with triethylamine. The enhanced emission of mono-protonated products stem from S₂ →S₀ transitions, which disobey the Kasha's rule.

Ambipolar Nickel Dithiolene Complex Semiconductors: From One- to Two-Dimensional Electronic Structures Based upon Alkoxy Chain Lengths

Air-stable single-component ambipolar organic semiconductors that conduct both holes and electrons are highly desired but have been rarely realized. Neutral nickel bis(dithiolene) complexes are promising candidates that fulfill the stringent electronic requirements of shallow HOMO levels and deep LUMO levels, which can reduce the carrier injection barrier to overcome the work function of gold electrodes and ensure air stability. However, most nickel bis(dithiolene) analogs that have been characterized as ambipolar semiconductors have twisted molecular structures that hinder the effective intermolecular interactions required for carrier conduction. To address this issue, we synthesized planar alkoxy-substituted nickel bis(dithiolene) analogs that facilitate dense packing with effective intermolecular interactions. Remarkably, changing the methoxy substituents to ethoxy or propoxy groups led to a dramatic change in the packing mode, from one-dimensional to herringbone-like, while maintaining effective intermolecular interactions. These materials overcome the usual trade-off between crystallinity and solubility; they are highly crystalline, even in their film forms, and are highly soluble in organic solvents. They are therefore readily solution-processable to form semiconducting layers with well-defined and well-ordered structures in field-effect transistors. Devices based on these compounds exhibited efficient ambipolar characteristics, even after several months of exposure to air, achieving high carrier mobilities of up to 10^-2 cm² V^-1 s^-1 and large on/off ratios of up to 10⁵, which are the top-class performances achieved for a single-component ambipolar semiconductor material driven in air.

Electron-Deficient Benzo[de]isoquinolino[1,8-gh]quinoline Diamide π-Electron Systems

Synthetically versatile electron-deficient π-electron systems are urgently needed for organic electronics, yet their design and synthesis are challenging due to the low reactivity from large electron affinities. In this work, we report a benzo[de]isoquinolino[1,8-gh]quinoline diamide (BQQDA) π-electron system. The electron-rich condensed amide as opposed to the generally-employed imide provides a suitable electronic feature for chemical versatility to tailor the BQQDA π-electron system for various electronic applications. We demonstrate an effective synthetic method to furnish the target BQQDA parent structure, and highly selective functionalization can be performed on bay positions of the π-skeleton. In addition, thionation of BQQDA can be accomplished under mild conditions. Fine-tuning of fundamental properties and supramolecular packing motifs are achieved via chemical modifications, and the cyanated BQQDA organic semiconductor demonstrates a high air-stable electron-carrier mobility.

Molecular Engineering of Chalcogen-Embedded Anthanthrenes via peri-Selective C-H Activation: Fine-Tuning of Crystal Packing for Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Disclosed herein is a RhCl₃ -catalyzed peri-selective C-H/C-H oxidative homo-coupling of 1-substituted naphthalenes, which provides a highly efficient and streamlined approach to chalcogen-embedded anthanthrenes from readily available starting materials. Introducing O, S, and Se into the anthanthrene skeleton leads to gradually increased π-π stacking distances but significantly enhanced π-π overlaps with the growth of the hetero-atom radius. Moderate π-π distance, overlap area, and intermolecular S-S interactions endow S-embedded anthanthrene (PTT) with excellent 2D charge-transport properties. Moreover, the transformation of p-type to n-type S-embedded anthanthrenes is realized for the first time via the S-atom oxidation from PTT to PTT-O4. In organic field-effect transistor devices, PTT derivatives exhibit hole transport with mobilities up to 1.1 cm²  V^-1  s^-1 , while PTT-O4 shows electron transport with a mobility of 0.022 cm²  V^-1  s^-1 .

Phosphaacene as a structural analogue of thienoacenes for organic semiconductors

An air-stable λ³-phosphinine-containing polycyclic aromatic compound without steric protection was synthesized and its charge transport properties were evaluated, which revealed moderate hole mobility. This research is the first experimental demonstration of the organic electronic applications of low-coordinate phosphorus compounds.

Electrochemical Synthesis of Dibenzothiophenes via Intramolecular C-S Cyclization with a Halogen Mediator

Electrochemical synthesis of dibenzothiophene derivatives was achieved. Several bis(biaryl) disulfides are efficiently converted to dibenzothiophenes by electrochemical oxidation. The use of Bu4NBr as a halogen mediator was essential, and wide varieties of dibenzothiophene derivatives were obtained in good yields.

Theoretical Study on the Structures, Electronic Properties, and Aromaticity of Thiophene Analogues of Anti-Kekulene

We predict the geometries, electronic properties, and aromaticity of thiophene analogues of anti-kekulene with six to nine thiophene rings 1–4, together with those of cyclobutadithiophenes (CDTs) and anti-kekulene as reference compounds, using density functional theory calculations. Investigation of the simplest reference compounds, CDTs, reveals that the local aromaticity of their thiophene rings is influenced by their fused position (b- or c-bond) to the four-membered ring (4MR). A thiophene ring fused at the b-position (b-TR) retains its aromatic character to some extent, whereas the aromatic character of one fused at the c-position is attenuated. The 4MR with two fused b-TRs retains a strong anti-aromatic character. Thiophene analogues of anti-kekulene with six to eight thiophene rings 1–3 favor bowl-shaped structures, in contrast to the planar structure of anti-kekulene, because of the shorter distances of the sulfur bridges. Compound 4, with nine thiophene rings, adopts a planar structure. The local aromaticity and anti-aromaticity of the thiophene ring and 4MR are significantly attenuated in 1–4 compared with the reference compounds, the CDTs and anti-kekulene. This can be attributed to the considerable contribution of the quinoidal electronic structure in 1–4. The present study provides new insight into the aromatic and electronic nature of systems containing cyclobutadienothiophene.

Thiazole fused S,N-heteroacene step-ladder polymeric semiconductors for organic transistors

Ladder-type thiazole-fused S,N-heteroacenes with an extended π-conjugation consisting of six (SN6-Tz) and nine (SN9-Tz) fused aromatic rings have been synthesized and fully characterized. To date, the synthesis of well-defined fused building blocks and polymers of π-conjugated organic compounds based on the thiazole moiety is a considerable synthetic challenge, due to the difficulty in their synthesis. Acceptor-donor building blocks M1 and M2 were successfully polymerized into ladder homopolymers P1-P2 and further copolymerized with a diketopyrrolopyrrole unit to afford step-ladder copolymer P3. The optical, electronic, and thermal properties, in addition to their charge transport behavior in organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), were investigated. The results showed an interesting effect on the molecular arrangement of the thiazole-based ladder-type heteroacene in the crystal structure revealing skewed π-π-stacking, and expected to possess better p-type semiconducting performance. The polymers all possess good molecular weights and excellent thermal properties. All the polymer-based OTFT devices exhibit annealing temperature dependent performance, and among the polymers P3 exhibits the highest mobility of 0.05 cm2 V-1 s-1.

Recent developments in the synthesis of the isoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione by radical cascade reaction

In recent years, isoquinoline-1,3(2H,4H)-dione compounds have attracted extensive attention from synthetic chemists, with the aim of finding simple, mild, green and efficient synthetic methods. In this review, we summarize the diverse range of synthetic methods employing acryloyl benzamides as key substrates to furnish isoquinoline-1,3-diones using different radical precursors, such as those containing carbon, sulphur, phosphorus, nitrogen, silicon and bromine. This will stimulate the interest of readers to engage in research in this field.

Sustainable access to benzothiophene derivatives bearing a trifluoromethyl group via a three-component domino reaction in water

A catalyst-free three-component domino reaction was developed for the synthesis of benzothiophene fused pyrrolidones bearing a CF3 group for the first time. The notable advantages of this strategy over the existing methods include the use of water as a solvent at room temperature, transition metal-free conditions, a broad substrate scope, and easy scale-up synthesis. More importantly, the benzothiophene derivatives have been found to show potent anticancer activities using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay.

Design of Molecules with Low Hole and Electron Reorganization Energy Using DFT Calculations and Bayesian Optimization

Materials exhibiting higher mobility than conventional organic semiconducting materials, such as fullerenes and fused thiophenes, are in high demand for applications in printed electronics. To discover new molecules that might show improved charge mobility, the adaptive design of experiments (DoE) to design molecules with low reorganization energy was performed by combining density functional theory (DFT) methods and machine learning techniques. DFT-calculated values of 165 molecules were used as an initial training dataset for a Gaussian process regression (GPR) model, and five rounds of molecular designs applying the GPR model and validation via DFT calculations were executed. As a result, new molecules whose reorganization energy is smaller than the lowest value in the initial training dataset were successfully discovered.

High mobility and ON/OFF ratio of solution-processable p-channel OFETs from arylacetylene end-capped alkoxyphenanthrenes

New arylacetylene end-capped alkoxyphenanthrenes were synthesized and demonstrated as the best active layer for solution-processable p -channel organic field-effect transistors. The alkoxy chain embedded compounds exhibited enhanced solubility and induced non-covalent interactions resulting in effective molecular packing. The 'Lewis soft' heteroatoms direct the most stable conformation with dihedral angles possible for molecular interactions, and energy levels. DFT studies supported the finetuning of FMOs, with high HOMO levels ~-5.2 eV ensuring a low barrier for charge injection. OFET devices exhibited a maximum charge carrier mobility up to 1.30 cm 2 /Vs with the highest ON/OFF ratio of 10 7 . The strong π-π interactions and the crystallinity of the films are well supported by GIXRD and SEM analysis.

Exploration of Alkyl Group Effects on the Molecular Packing of 5,15-Disubstituted Tetrabenzoporphyrins toward Efficient Charge-Carrier Transport

The high design flexibility of organic semiconductors should lead to diverse and complex electronic functions. However, currently available high-performance organic semiconductors are limited in variety; most of p-type materials are based on thienoacenes or related one-dimensionally (1D) extended π-conjugated systems. In an effort to expand the diversity of organic semiconductors, we are working on the development of tetrabenzoporphyrin (BP) derivatives as active-layer components of organic electronic devices. BP is characterized by its large, rigid two-dimensionally (2D) extended π-framework with high light absorptivity and therefore is promising as a core building unit of organic semiconductors for optoelectronic applications. Herein, we demonstrate that BP derivatives can afford field-effect hole mobilities of >4 cm² V^-1 s^-1 upon careful tuning of substituents. Comparative analysis of a series of 5,15-bis(n-alkyldimethylsilylethynyl)tetrabenzoporphyrins reveals that linear alkyl substituents disrupt the π-π stacking of BP cores, unlike the widely observed "fastener effect" for 1D extended π-systems. The n-octyl and n-dodecyl groups have the best balance between high solution processability and minimal π-π stacking disruption, leading to superior hole mobilities in solution-processed thin films. The resulting thin films show high thermal stability wherein the field-effect hole mobility stays above 1 cm² V^-1 s^-1 even after heating at 160 °C in air, reflecting the tight packing of large BP units. These findings will serve as a good basis for extracting the full potential of 2D extended π-frameworks and thus for increasing the structural or functional diversities of high-performance organic semiconductors.

Non-Equal Ratio Cocrystal Engineering to Improve Charge Transport Characteristics of Organic Semiconductors: A Case Study on Indolo[2,3-a]carbazole

Rare studies of cocrystal engineering have focused on improving carrier mobility of organic semiconductors mainly because of the generation of ambipolarity, the alteration of the charge carrier polarity or the reduction of electronic couplings. Herein, we utilize indolo[2,3-a]carbazole (IC) as the model compound and 2,6-diphenylanthraquinone (DPAO) and 9-fluorenone (FO) as the coformers to construct IC2-DPAO and IC-FO cocrystals with 2 : 1 or 1 : 1 ratios, respectively, through hydrogen bonds and donor-acceptor interactions. Interestingly, the more appropriate packing structure, possessing not only enhanced electronic couplings but also increased intermolecular distances, is achieved in IC2-DPAO, which shows an improved carrier mobility of 0.11 cm²  V^-1  s^-1 by four orders of magnitude relative to the IC crystal. These results suggest that non-equal ratio cocrystal engineering opens up the possibility to develop organic semiconductors with enhanced charge transport behaviors.