Masilamani G, Krishna GR, Debnath S, Bedi A. Origin of Optoelectronic Contradictions in 3,4-Cycloalkyl[
c]-chalcogenophenes: A Computational Study.
Polymers (Basel) 2023;
15:4240. [PMID:
37959920 PMCID:
PMC10650045 DOI:
10.3390/polym15214240]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The planar morphology of the backbone significantly contributes to the subtle optoelectronic features of π-conjugated polymers. On the other hand, the atomistic tuning of an otherwise identical π-backbone could also impact optoelectronic properties systematically. In this manuscript, we compare a series of 3,4-cycloalkylchalcogenophenes by tuning them atomistically using group-16 elements. Additionally, the effect of systematically extending these building blocks in the form of oligomers and polymers is studied. The size of the 3,4-substitution affected the morphology of the oligomers. In addition, the heteroatoms contributed to a further alteration in their geometry and resultant optoelectronic properties. The chalcogenophenes, containing smaller 3,4-cycloalkanes, resulted in lower bandgap oligomers or polymers compared to those with larger 3,4-cycloalkanes. Natural bonding orbital (NBO) calculations were performed to understand the disparity alongside the contour maps of frontier molecular orbitals (FMO).
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