Novel poly(phenylene ethynylene)-type conjugated polymers containing diketopyrrolopyrrole or triphenylpyrazoline units in the main chain: synthesis, characterization and photophysical properties

Engineering Soluble Diketopyrrolopyrrole Chromophore Stacks from a Series of Pd(II)-Based Ravels

A strategy to engineer the stacking of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) dyes based on non-statistical metallosupramolecular self-assembly is introduced. For this, the DPP backbone is equipped with nitrogen-based donors that allow for different discrete assemblies to be formed upon the addition of Pd(II), distinguished by the number of π-stacked chromophores. A Pd3 L6 three-ring, a heteroleptic Pd2 L2 L'2 ravel composed of two crossing DPPs (flanked by two carbazoles), and two unprecedented self-penetrated motifs (a Pd2 L3 triple and a Pd2 L4 quadruple stack), were obtained and systematically investigated. With increasing counts of stacked chromophores, UV/Vis absorptions red-shift and emission intensities decrease, except for compound Pd2 L2 L'2 , which stands out with an exceptional photoluminescence quantum yield of 51 %. This is extraordinary for open-shell metal containing assemblies and explainable by an intra-assembly FRET process. The modular design and synthesis of soluble multi-chromophore building blocks offers the potential for the preparation of nanodevices and materials with applications in sensing, photo-redox catalysis and optics.

Functional phenylethynylene side arm poly(arylene ethynylene) conjugated polymers: optical and electrochemical behavior for enrichment of electronic applications

The new type of poly(phenyl ethynylene) side arm conjugated polymers were synthesised with effective photophysical and electrochemical properties.

Unveiling a versatile heterocycle: pyrazoline – a review

The design and synthesis of novel fluorescent heterocyclic dyes is a “hotspot” research area, due to their favourable photophysical and electronic properties, which could allow huge advances in the fields of physics, chemistry and biology.

Highly selective ratiometric fluorescent probe based on diketopyrrolopyrrole for Au3+: an experimental and theoretical study

A diketopyrrolopyrrole-based fluorescent probe 1 was explored as a ratiometric probe for selective detection of Au³⁺, with the detection limit of 18 nM.

Highly planar thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-diketopyrrolopyrrole-containing polymers for organic field-effect transistors

Two novel thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole-based copolymers (PTTDPPTVT and PTTDPPSVS) with high planarity were synthesized and studied as semiconductors in OFETs.

A new diketopyrrolopyrrole-based probe for sensitive and selective detection of sulfite in aqueous solution

A new probe was synthesized by incorporating an α,β-unsaturated ketone to a diketopyrrolopyrrole fluorophore. The probe had exhibited a selective and sensitive response to the sulfite against other thirteen anions and biothiols (Cys, Hcy and GSH), through the nucleophilic addition of sulfite to the alkene of probe with the detection limit of 0.1 μM in HEPES (10 mM, pH 7.4) THF/H2O (1:1, v/v). Meanwhile, it could be easily observed that the probe for sulfite changed from pink to colorless by the naked eye, and from pink to blue under UV lamp after the sulfite was added for 20 min. The NMR and Mass spectral analysis demonstrated the expected addition of sulfite to the C=C bonds.

Hydrogen-bonded diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) pigments as organic semiconductors

Diketopyrrolopyrroles (DPPs) have recently gained attention as building-blocks for organic semiconducting polymers and small molecules, however the semiconducting properties of their hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) pigment forms have not been explored. Herein we report on the performance of three archetypical H-bonded DPP pigments, which show ambipolar carrier mobilities in the range 0.01-0.06 cm²/V s in organic field-effect transistors. Their semiconducting properties are correlated with crystal structure, where an H-bonded crystal lattice supports close and relatively cofacial π-π stacking. To better understand transport in these systems, density functional theory calculations were carried out, indicating theoretical maximum ambipolar mobility values of ∼0.3 cm²/V s. Based on these experimental and theoretical results, H-bonded DPPs represent a viable alternative to more established DPP-containing polymers and small molecules where H-bonding is blocked by N-alkylation.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole-porphyrin conjugates as broadly absorbing sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells

A series of four new push-pull zinc porphyrin-based dyes was synthesised for hybrid photovoltaic solar cells with a view to enhancing the light-harvesting efficiency at approximately 550 nm with a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) unit. The strength of the donor side of the push-pull porphyrin was tuned by affixing the electron-rich 4,4'-dimethoxydiphenylamine group at the meso position of the macrocycle, and the influence of the distance between the semiconductor surface and the porphyrin chromophore was assessed by introducing different π-conjugated spacers. Charge-transfer transitions over great distances were characterised by electronic absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations. The absorption and photoactivity spectra of the new bichromophoric dyes spans the whole visible spectrum to the red, implying a better light-harvesting efficiency than regular porphyrin as the absorption spectra of DPP and porphyrin complement one another. Photovoltaic conversion efficiencies accordingly increase from 2.40 to 5.19 %. Interestingly, the best overall efficiency was reached with dye 3, which lacks the powerful donating group in the meso position of the porphyrin core. Optical and electrochemical measurements coupled to time dependent (TD)-DFT calculations give insight into the deleterious effect of the 4,4'-dimethoxydiphenylamine unit on the photovoltaic performances, paving the way towards the design of efficient push-pull porphyrin-based sensitizers.