Characterization of two- and three-photon absorption of polyfluorene derivatives

Effective π-electron number and symmetry perturbation effect on the two-photon absorption of oligofluorenes

Fluorene-based molecules exhibit significant nonlinear optical responses and multiphoton absorption in the visible region, which, combined with the high fluorescence quantum yield in organic solvents, could make this class of materials potentially engaging in diverse photonics applications. Thus, herein, we have determined the two-photon absorption (2PA) of oligofluorenes containing three, five, and seven repetitive units by employing the wavelength-tunable femtosecond Z-scan technique. Our outcomes have shown that the 2PA cross-section in oligofluorenes presents an enhanced value of around 18 GM per N_eff, in which N_eff is the effective number of π-electrons, for the pure 2PA allowed transition (1¹A_g-like → 2¹A_g-like). Furthermore, a weak 2PA transition was observed in the same spectral region strongly allowed by one-photon absorption (1¹A_g-like → 1¹B_u-like). This last result suggests a molecular symmetry perturbation, probably induced by the molecular disorder triggered by the increase of moieties in the oligofluorene structure. We have calculated the permanent dipole moment difference related to the lowest-energy transition using the Lippert-Matagaformalism and the 2PA sum-over-states approach to confirm this assumption. Moreover, we have estimated the fundamental limits for the 2PA cross-section in oligofluorenes.

The Effect of Acceptor Structure on Emission Color Tuning in Organic Semiconductors with D-π-A-π-D Structures

A series of novel donor-acceptor D-π-A-π-D compounds were synthesized and characterized in order to determine the influence of different acceptor units on their properties. The introduction of acceptor moieties had a direct impact on the HOMO and LUMO energy levels. Fluorescence spectra of compounds can be changed by the choice of an appropriate acceptor and were shifted from the green to the near-infrared part of spectra. Due to observed concentration induced emission quenching, the green exciplex type host was used to evaluate the potential of synthesized molecules as emitters in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Stellar Multi-Photon Absorption Materials: Beyond the Telecommunication Wavelength Band

Very large molecular two- and three-photon absorption cross-sections are achieved by appending ligated bis(diphosphine)ruthenium units to oligo(p-phenyleneethynylene) (OPE)-based "stars" with arms up to 7 phenyleneethynylene (PE) units in length. Extremely large three- and four-photon absorption cross-sections, through the telecommunications wavelengths range and beyond, are obtained for these complexes upon optimizing OPE length and the ruthenium-coordinated peripheral ligand. Multi-photon absorption (MPA) cross-sections are optimized with stars possessing arms 2 PE units in length. Peripheral ligand variation modifies MPA merit and, in particular, 4-nitrophenylethynyl ligand incorporation enhances maximal MPA values and "switches on" four-photon absorption (4PA) in these low molecular-weight complexes. The 4-nitrophenylethynyl-ligated 2PE-armed star possesses a maximal four-photon absorption cross-section of 1.8×10^-108  cm⁸  s³ at 1750 nm, and significant MPA activity extending beyond 2000 nm.

Femtosecond Two-Photon Absorption Spectroscopy of Poly(fluorene) Derivatives Containing Benzoselenadiazole and Benzothiadiazole

We have investigated the molecular structure and two-photon absorption (2PA) properties relationship of two push-pull poly(fluorene) derivatives containing benzoselenadiazole and benzothiadiazole units. For that, we have used the femtosecond wavelength-tunable Z-scan technique with a low repetition rate (1 kHz) and an energy per pulse on the order of nJ. Our results show that both 2PA spectra present a strong 2PA (around 600 GM (1 GM = 1 × 10-50 cm⁴·s·photon-1)) band at around 720 nm (transition energy 3.45 eV) ascribed to the strongly 2PA-allowed 1Ag-like → mAg-like transition, characteristic of poly(fluorene) derivatives. Another 2PA band related to the intramolecular charge transfer was also observed at around 900 nm (transition energy 2.75 eV). In both 2PA bands, we found higher 2PA cross-section values for the poly(fluorene) containing benzothiadiazole unit. This outcome was explained through the higher charge redistribution at the excited state caused by the benzothiadiazole group as compared to the benzoselenadiazole and confirmed by means of solvatochromic Stokes shift measurements. To shed more light on these results, we employed the sum-over-states approach within the two-energy level model to estimate the maximum permanent dipole moment change related to the intramolecular charge transfer transition.

Nonlinear Optical Materials for the Smart Filtering of Optical Radiation

The control of luminous radiation has extremely important implications for modern and future technologies as well as in medicine. In this Review, we detail chemical structures and their relevant photophysical features for various groups of materials, including organic dyes such as metalloporphyrins and metallophthalocyanines (and derivatives), other common organic materials, mixed metal complexes and clusters, fullerenes, dendrimeric nanocomposites, polymeric materials (organic and/or inorganic), inorganic semiconductors, and other nanoscopic materials, utilized or potentially useful for the realization of devices able to filter in a smart way an external radiation. The concept of smart is referred to the characteristic of those materials that are capable to filter the radiation in a dynamic way without the need of an ancillary system for the activation of the required transmission change. In particular, this Review gives emphasis to the nonlinear optical properties of photoactive materials for the function of optical power limiting. All known mechanisms of optical limiting have been analyzed and discussed for the different types of materials.

Two-photon absorption of polyfluorene aggregates stabilized by insulin amyloid fibrils

We report on the photophysical and optical properties of a polyfluorene derivative (PFO) and its binding to the amyloid-forming protein insulin.