Synthesis, Fluorescence, and Two-Photon Absorption Properties of Push-Pull 5-Arylthieno[3,2-b]thiophene Derivatives

A first principles based prediction of electronic and nonlinear optical properties towards cyclopenta thiophene chromophores with benzothiophene acceptor moieties

In the current work, organic cyclopenta-thiophene (CPT) based derivatives (FICR and FICD1-FICD5) were designed by the modulation of end-capped acceptor group of the reference molecule i.e., FICR, to explore their nonlinear optical (NLO) response. The effect of terminal acceptor and donor groups in the tailored compounds was explored by using DFT based quantum calculations. The UV-Vis analysis, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), transition density matrix (TDM), natural bond orbitals (NBOs), density of states (DOS), nonlinear optical (NLO) analyses were performed at M06/6-311G(d,p) functional. The LUMO-HOMO band gaps of FICD1-FICD5 were found to be smaller (1.75-1.92 eV) comparative to FICR (1.98 eV). Moreover, the global reactivity parameters (GRPs) were correlated with the results of other analyses. FICD2 and FICD5 with lowest band gap 1.73 and 1.75 eV showed less hardness (0.86 and 0.87 eV, respectively), high softness (0.58 and 0.57 eV-1), and larger absorption spectrum (815 and 813 nm) in gaseous phase and (889 and 880 nm) in solvent phase among all entitled compounds. All the designed chromophores (FICD1-FICD5) demonstrated a significant NLO response as compared to FICR. Particularly, FICD2 and FICD5 exhibited the highest average linear polarizability (<α>) [2.86 × 10-22 and 2.88 × 10-22 esu], first hyperpolarizability (βtot) (8.43 × 10-27 and 8.35 × 10-27 esu) and second hyperpolarizability (γtot) (13.20 × 10-32 and 13.0 × 10-32 esu) values as compared to the other derivatives. In nutshell, structural modeling of CPT based chromophores with extended acceptors, can be significantly utilized to achieve potential NLO materials.

Recent synthetic approaches towards thienothiophenes: a potential template for biologically active compounds

Heterocyclic compounds are attractive candidates because of their vast applications in natural and physical sciences. Thienothiophene (TT) is an annulated ring of two thiophene rings with a stable and electron-rich structure. Thienothiophenes (TTs) fully represent the planar system, which can drastically alter or improve the fundamental properties of organic, π-conjugated materials when included into a molecular architecture. These molecules possessed many applications including, pharmaceutical as well as optoelectronic properties. Different isomeric forms of thienothiophene showed various applications such as antiviral, antitumor, antiglaucoma, antimicrobial, and as semiconductors, solar cells, organic field effect transistors, electroluminiscents etc. A number of methodologies were adopted to synthesize thienothiophene derivatives. In this review, we have addressed different synthetic strategies of various isomeric forms of thienothiophene that have been reported during last seven years, i.e., 2016-2022.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel meso-substitutedphenyl dithieno[3,2-b]thiophene-fused BODIPY derivatives as efficient photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy

The discovery of new photosensitizer drugs with long wavelength Uv-vis absorption, high efficiency and low side-effects is still a challenge in photodynamic therapy. Here a series of novel meso-substitutedphenyl thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-fused BODIPY derivatives were designed, synthesized and characterized. All these compounds have strong absorption at 640-680 nm and obvious fluorescence emission at 650-760 nm. They exhibited high singlet oxygen generation ability and significant photodynamic efficiency against Eca-109 cancer cells. Compounds II4, II6, II9, II10 and II13 could generate intracellular ROS and induce cell apoptosis after laser irradiation, which displayed superior photodynamic efficiency against Eca-109 cells than Temoporfin in vitro and in vivo. Among them, compound II4 specifically exhibited excellent anti-tumor efficacy, and could be selected as a new drug candidate for PDT.

Bis(thienyl)ethenes with α-methoxymethyl groups. Syntheses, spectroscopic Hammett plots, and stabilities in PMMA films

A series of bis(thienyl)ethenes (BTEs) possessing perfluorocyclopentene backbones and methoxymethyl groups (MOM) in the 2/2'-positions of the thiophenes was prepared and examined. The substitution pattern of the 5/5'-positions was varied, covering the range from electron-donating to electron-withdrawing. The substituent effects of the absorption wavelengths of the ring-opened and the ring-closed isomers, which are interconverted by reversible 6π-electrocyclizations and cycloreversions, are studied by means of the spectroscopic Hammett equation and the Hammett-Brown equation. Excellent correlations of these linear free energy relationships were found, when the σp values of the Hammett equation, which summarize inductive, mesomeric and field effects, were replaced to the Hammett-Brown σp+ and σp- values which also take direct conjugation into account. We studied solvent effects on the spectroscopic properties and embedded the BTEs into polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) coatings to examine their fatigue resistance. By our studies, the spectroscopic properties of BTEs can be adjusted by variation of the substitution pattern to a desired excitation wavelength for switching processes.

Thienothiophene Scaffolds as Building Blocks for (Opto)Electronics

Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene and isomeric thieno[2,3-b]thiophene represent fused, bicyclic and electron rich heterocycles. These small planar organic compounds belong to the remarkable family of annulated building blocks for various organic materials. The first part of this review focuses on the synthesis of the primary unsubstituted thienothiophene scaffolds. All synthetic pathways available in the literature, dating from the 19th century, are summarized. The second part is devoted to the applications of the thienothiophene-derived materials across (opto)electronics. Organic light emitting diodes, organic solar cells, organic field-effect transistors and nonlinear optics were identified as the most successful application areas of both thienothiophenes. The fundamental structure-property relationships were evaluated for each particular group of derivatives.

Push-Pull Heterocyclic Dyes Based on Pyrrole and Thiophene: Synthesis and Evaluation of Their Optical, Redox and Photovoltaic Properties

Three heterocyclic dyes were synthesized having in mind the changes in the photovoltaic, optical and redox properties by functionalization of 5-aryl-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene, 5-arylthiophene and bis-methylpyrrolylthiophene π-bridges with different donor, acceptor/anchoring groups. Knoevenagel condensation of the aldehyde precursors with 2-cyanoacetic acid was used to prepare the donor-acceptor functionalized heterocyclic molecules. These organic metal-free dyes are constituted by thieno[3,2-b]thiophene, arylthiophene, bis-methylpyrrolylthiophene, spacers and one or two cyanoacetic acid acceptor groups and different electron donor groups (alkoxyl, and pyrrole electron-rich heterocycle). The evaluation of the redox, optical and photovoltaic properties of these compounds indicate that 5-aryl-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-based dye functionalized with an ethoxyl electron donor and a cyanoacetic acid electron acceptor group/anchoring moiety displays as sensitizer for DSSCs the best conversion efficiency (2.21%). It is mainly assigned to the higher molar extinction coefficient, long π-conjugation of the heterocyclic system, higher oxidation potential and strong electron donating capacity of the ethoxyl group compared to the pirrolyl moiety.

Donor acceptor fluorophores: synthesis, optical properties, TD-DFT and cytotoxicity studies

Donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) fluorophores consisting of a donor unit, a π linker, and an acceptor moiety have attracted attention in the last decade. In this study, we report the synthesis, characterization, optical properties, TD-DFT, and cytotoxicity studies of 17 near infrared (NIR) D-π-A analogs which have not been reported so far to the best of our knowledge. These fluorophores have chloroacrylic acid as the acceptor unit and various donor units such as indole, benzothiazole, benzo[e]indole, and quinoline. The fluorophores showed strong absorption in the NIR (700-970 nm) region due to their enhanced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) between chloroacrylic acid and the donor moieties connected with the Vilsmeier-Haack linker. The emission wavelength maxima of the fluorophores were in between 798 and 870 nm. Compound 20 with a 4-quinoline donor moiety showed an emission wavelength above 1000 nm in the NIR II window. The synthesized fluorophores were characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR, and their optical properties were studied. Time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations showed that the charge transfer occurs from the donor groups (indole, benzothiazole, benzo[e]indole, and quinoline) to the acceptor chloroacrylic acid moiety. Fluorophores with [HOMO] to [LUMO+1] transitions were shown to possess a charge separation character. The cytotoxicity of selected fluorophores, 4, 7, 10 and 12 was investigated against breast cancer cell lines and they showed better activity than the anti-cancer agent docetaxel.

Static- and frequency-dependent NLO properties of dithienothiophene and thienothiophene bridges — A computational investigation

We have explored detailed linear and nonlinear optical properties of push-pull systems bearing thienothiophene and dithienothiophene spacers. By using density functional theory (DFT), frequency-dependent strategies were applied to examine the polarizability ([Formula: see text] and hyperpolarizability ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The set of global and range-separated hybrid functionals with different Hartree–Fock (HF) exchange percentage at two basis sets cc-pVDZ and cc-pVTZ were used to evaluate the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The observed trends in the absorption maxima supported by perturbation potential analysis; as the absorption maxima increases, the respective amplitude potential decreases. For the investigated compounds, [Formula: see text]-conjugation along with the type of substituted acceptor plays a crucial role in the enhancement of NLO properties. The presence of acceptor group and length of conjugation increase between the D and A group; the first- and second-order intrinsic hyperpolarizability increases, leads to enhanced first- as well as second-order hyperpolarizability. Bond length alternation (BLA)/bond order alteration (BOA) exploration suggested that compounds attain cyanine limit. The trends in NLO properties for investigated compounds are supported by chemical reactivity descriptors, hardness and hyperhardness analysis. The polarizability is linearly correlated with the hyperpolarizability parameters ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and shows a good regression coefficient by figures of merit analysis.

Luminescent lanthanide complexes with a pyridine-bis(carboxamide)-bithiophene sensitizer showing wavelength-dependent singlet oxygen generation

A new pyridine-bis(carboxamide)-based ligand with a bithiophene pendant, 2Tcbx, was synthesized.

Push-Pull N,N-Diphenylhydrazones Bearing Bithiophene or Thienothiophene Spacers as Nonlinear Optical Second Harmonic Generators and as Photosensitizers for Nanocrystalline TiO2 Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

A series of push-pull heterocyclic N,N-diphenylhydrazones were prepared to study the effect of structural modifications (different π-spacers and electron-withdrawing groups) on the optical (linear and nonlinear) and electronic properties of the molecules. The photovoltaic response of dye-sensitized solar cells assembled using nanocrystalline titania photosensitized with the synthesized dyes was also studied. These heterocyclic push-pull conjugated dyes involve N,N-diphenylhydrazones as electron donors linked to bithiophene or thieno[3,2-b]thiophene spacers and were functionalized with carboxylic acid, cyanoacetic acid, or dicyanovinyl acceptor groups. A combination of Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling, Vilsmeier formylation, and condensation reactions was used to synthesize the intermediates and final products. Density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent-DFT calculations were used to obtain information on conformation, electronic structure, and electron distribution, both for the free dyes and those adsorbed on TiO₂. The results of this multidisciplinary study indicate that dyes 5b and 6b have the strongest second-order nonlinear optical response with hyperpolarizability values in the range of β = 2330 × 10^-30 to 2750 × 10^-30 esu, whereas photovoltaic power conversion efficiencies reach values in the range of 0.7-3.0% for dyes 5a-b and 7c and were enhanced by coadsorbing deoxycholic acid (0.8-5.1%).

Synthesis of a metal-coordinated N-substituted polybenzimidazole pyridine sulfone and method for the nondestructive analysis of thermal stability

N-substituted metal-coordinated cross-linking polybenzimidazole pyridine sulfone, as novel class of high-performance functional polymers, has been obtained by the coordination of N-substituted polybenzimidazole pyridine sulfone (Py-N-PBIS) ligand with varying content of metallic ion (Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+). The structures of the polymers are characterized by means of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, the results show good agreement with the proposed structures. Thermogravimetric analysis measurements exhibit that the metal coordination polymers possess good thermal stability with high thermal decomposition temperature (thermally stable up to 405–510°C). More importantly, the thermal decomposition temperature of Py-N-PBIS-(Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+) can be nondestructively detected by taking advantage of the fluorescence quenching effect of metal coordination to 2,6-Bis(2-benzimidazolyl)pyridine structure.

Optical and Photovoltaic Properties of Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-Based Push-Pull Organic Dyes with Different Anchoring Groups for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The effect of anchoring groups on the optical and electrochemical properties of triphenylamine-thienothiophenes, and on the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs photosensitized with the prepared dyes, was studied using newly synthesized compounds with cyanoacetic acid or rhodanine-3-acetic acid groups. Precursor aldehydes were synthesized through Suzuki cross-coupling, whereas Knoevenagel condensation of these with 2-cyanoacetic acid or rhodanine-3-acetic acid afforded the final push-pull dyes. A comprehensive photophysical study was performed in solution and in the solid state. The femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectra for the synthesized dyes were obtained following photoexcitation in solution and for the dyes adsorbed to TiO₂ mesoporous films. Information on conformation, electronic structure, and electron distribution was obtained by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations. Triphenylamine-thienothiophene functionalized with a cyanoacetic acid anchoring group displayed the highest conversion efficiency (3.68%) as the dye sensitizer in nanocrystalline TiO₂ solar cells. Coadsorption studies were performed for this dye with the ruthenium-based N719 dye, and they showed dye power conversion efficiencies enhanced by 20-64%. The best cell performance obtained with the coadsorbed N719 and cyanoacetic dye showed an efficiency of 6.05%.

Addressing the autofluorescence issue in deep tissue imaging by two-photon microscopy: the significance of far-red emitting dyes

We have developed a new class of two-photon absorbing dyes that are far-red emitting, water-soluble, and very bright inside cells as well as in tissue. The significant autofluorescence from yellow wavelength region in tissue imaging can be addressed by deep-red emitting dyes.

The fluorescence imaging of tissue is essential for studying biological events beyond the cellular level. Two-photon microscopy based on the nonlinear light absorption of fluorescent dyes is a viable tool for the high resolution imaging of tissue. A key limitation for deep tissue imaging is the autofluorescence from intrinsic biomolecules. Here, we report a systematic study that discloses relative autofluorescence interference, which is dependent on the type of tissue and the excitation and emission wavelengths in two-photon imaging. Among the brain, kidney, liver, lung, and spleen mouse tissues examined, the kidney tissue exhibited prominent autofluorescence followed by the liver and others. Notably, regardless of the tissue type, prominent autofluorescence is observed not only from the green emission channel but also from the yellow emission channel where common two-photon absorbing dyes also emit, whereas there is minimal autofluorescence from the red channel. The autofluorescence is slightly influenced by the excitation wavelength. Toward minimal autofluorescence, we developed a new class of two-photon absorbing dyes that are far-red emitting, water-soluble, and very bright inside cells as well as in tissue. A comparative assessment of the imaging depth, which is dependent on the three selected dyes that emit in the blue-green, yellow, and far-red regions, shows the importance of far-red emitting dyes for deep tissue imaging.

Dipolar NLO Chromophores Bearing Diazine Rings as π-Conjugated Linkers

The synthesis of a series of push-pull derivatives bearing triphenylamine electron-donating group, cyclopenta[c]thiophen-4,6-dione electron acceptor and various π-linkers including (hetero)aromatic fragments is reported. All target chromophores with systematically varied π-linker structure were further investigated by electrochemistry, absorption measurements, and EFISH experiments in conjunction with DFT calculations. Based on electrochemical and photophysical measurements, when a polarizable 2,5-thienylene moiety is embedded into the chromophore π-backbone the highest intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) is observed. Benzene, pyrimidine, and pyridazine derivatives exhibit lower polarizability and extent of the ICT across these π-linkers. The elongation of the π-conjugated system via additional ethenylene linker results in a significant reduction of the HOMO-LUMO gap and an enhancement of the NLO response. Whereas it does not significantly influence electrochemical and linear optical properties, the orientation of the pyrimidine ring seems to be a key parameter on the μβ value due to significant variation of the dipolar moment (μ) value. In 2a and 2c, pyrimidine is oriented to behave as an acceptor and thus generate dipolar molecule with μ above 5 D, whereas in 2b and 2d ground state dipole moment is significantly reduced. This study seems to indicate a high aromaticity of pyrimidine and pyridazine derivatives, close to the benzene analogues and significantly higher than thiophene analogues.