Ferrocene chromophores continue to inspire. Fine-tuning and switching of the second-order nonlinear optical response

Size economy and first hyperpolarizability: synthesis and nonlinear optical behavior of ferrocene-based donor-acceptor chromophores lacking π-linkers

The question of size economy in the design of chromophores for nonlinear optics is addressed in this investigation. We have synthesized directly linked donor-acceptor dyads, which lack a π-conjugated linker, the presence of which is usually considered obligatory in materials designed for nonlinear optics. Correlating linear optical data, electrochemical data, computational data and hyper Rayleigh scattering (HRS) data on ferrocene (Fc) based dyads, we demonstrate that the first hyperpolarizability of such size economical chromophores is significantly better compared to that of Fc based, traditional, larger, donor-π-acceptor chromophores. Arguably, a larger π-conjugated linker decreases the electronic communication between the donor and the acceptor and weakens the intramolecular charge transfer in such chromophores.

The Amoebicidal Activity of Diferrocenyl Derivatives: A Significant Dependence on the Electronic Environment

Amoebiasis is the second leading cause of death worldwide associated with parasitic disease and is becoming a critical health problem in low-income countries, urging new treatment alternatives. One of the most promising strategies is enhancing the redox imbalance within these susceptible parasites related to their limited antioxidant defense system. Metal-based drugs represent a perfect option due to their extraordinary capacity to stabilize different oxidation states and adopt diverse geometries, allowing their interaction with several molecular targets. This work describes the amoebicidal activity of five 2-(Z-2,3-diferrocenylvinyl)-4X-4,5-dihydrooxazole derivatives (X = H (3a), Me (3b), iPr (3c), Ph (3d), and benzyl (3e)) on Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites and the physicochemical, experimental, and theoretical properties that can be used to describe the antiproliferative activity. The growth inhibition capacity of these organometallic compounds is strongly related to a fine balance between the compounds' redox potential and hydrophilic character. The antiproliferative activity of diferrocenyl derivatives studied herein could be described either with the redox potential, the energy of electronic transitions, logP, or the calculated HOMO-LUMO values. Compound 3d presents the highest antiproliferative activity of the series with an IC50 of 23 µM. However, the results of this work provide a pipeline to improve the amoebicidal activity of these compounds through the directed modification of their electronic environment.

A DFT Study on New Photovoltaic Dyes to Investigate their NLO Tuning at Near Infrared Region (NIR) as Pull-push Effect by End Capped Acceptors

Throughout the opto-electronic devices industry, organic materials with considerable nonlinear optical (NLO) capabilities are being used. By employing 4,6-di(thiophen-2-yl)pyrimidine as a standard molecule, a series for new dyes (DMBMB1-DMBMB6) are created in the present paper by altering their functionalization with various electron acceptor (A) functional groups. The density functional fheory (DFT) and time dependent DFT (TD-DFT) based calculations have been performed to explore NLO responses by adjustment of different A units. The energy gap (E_gap) of their highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) was ranged between 0.22-2.43 eV which was also used to calculate their global chemical parameters (GRPs). All the new dyes were subjected to UV-Vis studies revealing their frequencies being red shifted from starting dye (DMBMB). The theoretical investigations like frontier molecular orbital (FMO) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was used to investigate their intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). The dye DMBMB6 had the greatest linear polarizability, first hyperpolarizability (α_total), and second order hyperpolarizability (β_total) for all the developed dyes. In conclusion, due of their low ICT, all the dyes showed potential NLO features. Scientific researchers would be able to harness these NLO features to discover NLO materials for current and future uses.

A double co-sensitization strategy using heteroleptic transition metal ferrocenyl dithiocarbamate phenanthrolene-dione for enhancing the performance of N719-based DSSCs

Three new heteroleptic dithiocarbamate complexes with formula [M(Phen-dione)(Fcdtc)]PF₆ (where M = Ni(ii) Ni-Fc, Cu(ii) Cu-Fc) and [Co(Phen-dione)(Fcdtc)₂]PF₆ (Co-Fc) (Fcdtc = N-ethanol-N-methylferrocene dithiocarbamate and Phen-dione = 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione; PF₆ ^- = hexafluorophosphate) were synthesized and characterized using microanalysis, FTIR, electronic absorption spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The solution state electronic absorption spectroscopy for all three complexes displayed a band at ∼430 nm corresponding to the ferrocene unit and another low-intensity band in the visible region arising because of the d-d transitions. These newly synthesized complexes were used as co-sensitizers for the state-of-the-art di-tetrabutylammonium cis-bis(isothiocyanato)bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylato)ruthenium(ii) (N719) dye in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Among the three co-sensitizers/co-adsorbent-based DSSC set-ups, the assembly fabricated using Co-Fc/N719 displayed good photovoltaic performance with 5.31% efficiency (η) while a new triple component strategy inculcating N719, Co-Fc and Cu-Fc dyes offered the best photovoltaic performance with 6.05% efficiency (η) with incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 63%. This indicated an upliftment of the DSSC performance by ∼38% in comparison to the set-up constructed by employing only N719 dye (η = 4.39%) under similar experimental conditions.

Ferrocene appended 1,8-naphthalimide chromophores: Synthesis, theoretical, the effect of phenyl substitution on aggregation-induced enhanced emission and second-order nonlinear optical studies

A new ferrocene appended linear donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) type 1,8-naphthalimide chromophores [FcPhNap-n-butyl (1) and Fc(Ph)₂Nap-n-butyl (2)] have been synthesized and characterized using various analytical and spectroscopic techniques. The chromophores 1 and 2 show the one-electron transfer process, which was examined through cyclic voltammetric (CV) method. The solvatochromic studies show red shift by increasing the solvent polarity from non-polar to polar for both the chromophores 1 and 2, due to the better stabilization of the more polarized excited state than the ground state in the polar solvent. The fluorescence studies show low fluorescence emission, which was enhanced by aggregation in THF/water mixture when the water ratio is increased upto 60%, due to the restricted intramolecular rotation (RIR) process in the aggregated state. Also, the quantum yield increases 3.4 (1) and 6.8 (2) times in the aggregation induced enhanced emission (AIEE) state than THF solution for both the chromophores [THF/AIEE = 0.05/0.17 for 1 and 0.03/0.22 for 2]. The second-order non-linear optical properties of the chromophores 1 and 2 were studied using Kurtz and Perry powder technique, chromophore 2 shows 1.2 times higher SHG efficiency than 1, owing to the presence of additional phenyl group in 2, which further supports the effective charge transfer process from donor to acceptor. Furthermore, optical and non-linear optical properties of chromophores 1 and 2 were analyzed by DFT/TD-DFT calculations using different functionals (B3LYP, long-range corrected CAM-B3LYP and LC-BLYP) with 6-31+G** level of theory. The B3LYP functional shows higher hyperpolarizability values [β₀ = 109.2 × 10^-30 esu (1), 299.7 × 10^-30 esu (2)], due to the overestimation of the dipole moment, polarizability and hyperpolarizabilities between the donor-π-acceptor systems in B3LYP-hybrid functional, which leads to incorrect long-range charge transfer.

Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties of Push-Pull Oligo(ferrocenyl-phenyleneethynylene)s: Supramolecular Orders in Molecular Films

We report on the optoelectronic properties of a series of unsymmetrical π-conjugated phenyleneethynylene macromolecules bearing ferrocene (Fc) as the electron-donor group (D), (benzyl) benzoate (Bz) or benzoic acid (Ac) as the electron attractor group (A) and connected through 2,5-di(alcoxy) phenyleneethynylene(s) (nPE) with n = 1, 2, 3 as π-conjugated bridges. In the series, by increasing the distance between the electron-attracting and electron-donor groups, the push-pull effect decreases. The intramolecular charge transfer (D → π → A) was evaluated by static and dynamic spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and density functional theory (DFT) theoretical calculations. The longest oligomer Fc3PEBz formed the best optical quality films. A study at the atomic level by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) revealed that the molecules self-assemble on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) in domains with a short-range order. Films are mesoporous and the molecules arrange in a lamellar-like pattern, with an edge-on conformation with respect to HOPG, where the conjugated backbones lie parallel to the surface. Two different assemblies were identified in the monoatomic film, which depends on the ferrocene-ferrocene or benzyl-benzyl interactions.

Second-order nonlinear polarizability of "Push-Pull" chromophores. A decade of progress in donor-π-acceptor materials

Fine tuning and switching of nonlinear optical response of ferrocene chromophores has been an area of considerable significance as evidenced by a large number of reports in the current literature. In this personal account, we present linear/nonlinear behavior and structure-activity relationships of several classes of donor-π-acceptor designs using organometallic and organic materials, developed by our research group during the last decade. The results especially the electronic absorption spectral and the hyper-Rayleigh scattering have been supported by theoretical calculations. Exploiting the redox behavior of ferrocene donor, we have demonstrated switching of quadratic nonlinear optical responses with reversible redox chemistry, which is a useful attribute of nonlinear optical materials. Based on the ease in synthesis, structure diversification and structure-based large and switchable second-order optical nonlinearity, these materials are potential candidates for electro-optic applications.

Ferrocene functionalized enantiomerically pure Schiff bases and their Zn(ii) and Pd(ii) complexes: a spectroscopic, crystallographic, electrochemical and computational investigation

A combination of X-ray diffraction, IR, UV-vis and NMR spectroscopy together with computational methods was used to characterize and study the properties of the title compounds.

Novel Ferrocene-Appended β-Ketoimines and Related BF2 Derivatives with Significant Aggregation-Induced Emission and Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties

A series of new β-ketoimines containing a ferrocene moiety and their BF₂ complexes have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The solvatochromism of the β-ketoimines was studied, putting in evidence a redshift with increasing solvent polarity. This positive solvatochromism can be attributed to a more polarized excited state compared with the ground state, due to intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) transitions. The β-ketoimines exhibited weak emission, attributable to the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) phenomenon. This ESIPT effect is suppressed upon restriction of the keto-enamine tautomerism, induced upon addition of BF₃ ⋅OEt₂ , which afforded the related BF₂ complexes, characterized by an enhancement of the fluorescence through the ICT effect. Both the β-ketoimines and BF₂ complexes exhibited significant aggregation-induced emission behavior in mixtures of CH₃ CN/H₂ O, due to restriction of intramolecular rotation in the aggregated state. The frontier molecular orbital levels, ground- and excited-state dipole moments (μ_g and μ_e ), and the origin of electronic absorption spectra were studied by time-dependent DFT calculations. The second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties were determined by the electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation technique. The μβ₁₉₀₇ values of the β-ketoimines increased upon the formation of the related BF₂ complexes, mainly due to an enhancement of the ground-state dipole moment. The results presented here reveal that some of these novel compounds are excellent multifunctional candidates for NLO and luminescence applications.

Ferrocene-appended boronated ester: effect of cyanovinylene group on the nonlinear optical properties and colorimetric detection of fluoride ion

A centrosymmetric ferrocenyl boronated ester shows second-order NLO effect, selective and sensitive detection of fluoride ion.

Ferrocene donor linked to pyridine/pyridinium acceptor via a systematically enlarged π-linker

Nine chromophores with ferrocene donor and pyridine/pyridinium acceptors have been prepared and further investigated. The performed X-ray analysis showed partially polarized and geometrically oblate pyridine unit. An extension of the π-system and N-quaternization were revealed as suitable tools for exclusive manipulation of the LUMO with the almost steady HOMO. Whereas the electrochemical HOMO–LUMO gap can be tuned from 3.01 to 1.49 eV, the high- and low-energy absorption bands were found within the range of 280–402/456–547 nm. The pyridinium chromophores showed distinct negative solvatochromism. A thorough DFT analysis has been performed; it turned out that ferrocene donor is capable of two principal D–A interactions, whose employment depends on the appended electron-withdrawing moiety.

Nine chromophores with ferrocene donor and pyridine/pyridinium acceptors have been prepared and further investigated.

D–A dyads and A–D–A triads based on ferrocene: push–pull dyes with unusual behaviours in solution

Ferrocene has been extensively used for the design of chromophores with reversible electrochemical properties.

NLO-active Y-shaped ferrocene conjugated imidazole chromophores as precursors for SHG polymeric films

New Y-shaped ferrocene conjugated imidazole chromophores were prepared and fully characterized. The Y-shaped structure was confirmed by the single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The chromophores show interesting second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties in solution, as determined by the Electric-Field Induced Second Harmonic generation (EFISH) technique. Remarkably, the trifluoro substituted compound 3 is characterized by a high μβEFISH value and has good potential as a molecular building block for composite films with Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) properties. For all compounds, the dipole moments and frontier orbital energies were calculated by the Density Functional Theoretical method.

Palladium(ii) complexes of tetradentate donor–acceptor Schiff base ligands: synthesis and spectral, structural, thermal and NLO properties

Structural and NLO behavior of push–pull palladium(ii) complexes of metallocenyl-containing asymmetric Schiff base ligands.

Picosecond to Nanosecond Manipulation of Excited-State Lifetimes in Complexes with an FeII to TiIV Metal-to-Metal Charge Transfer: The Role of Ferrocene Centered Excited States

Time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy and computational analysis of D-π-A complexes comprising Fe^II donors and Ti^IV acceptors with the general formula ^RCp₂Ti(C₂Fc)₂ (where ^RCp = Cp*, Cp, and ^MeOOCCp) and ^TMSCp₂Ti(C₂Fc)(C₂R) (where R = Ph or CF₃) are reported. The transient absorption spectra are consistent with an Fe^III/Ti^III metal-to-metal charge-transfer (MMCT) excited state for all complexes. Thus, excited-state decay is assigned to back-electron transfer (BET), the lifetime of which ranges from 18.8 to 41 ps. Though spectroscopic analysis suggests BET should fall into the Marcus inverted regime, the observed kinetics are not consistent with this assertion. TDDFT calculations reveal that the singlet metal-to-metal charge-transfer (¹MMCT) excited state for the Fe^II/Ti^IV complexes is not purely MMCT in nature but is contaminated with the higher-energy ¹Fc (d-d) state. For the diferrocenyl complexes, ^RCp₂Ti(C₂Fc)₂, the ratio of MMCT to Fc centered character ranges from 57:43 for the Cp* complex to 85:15 for the ^MeOOCCp complex. For the diferrocenyl and monoferrocenyl complexes investigated herein, the excited-state lifetimes decrease with increased ¹Fc character. The effect of Cu^I coordination was also analyzed by time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy and reveals the elongation of the excited-state lifetime by 3 orders of magnitude to 63 ns. The transient spectra and TDDFT analysis suggest that the long-lived excited state in Cp₂Ti(C₂Fc)₂·CuX (where X is Cl or Br) is a triplet iron species with an electron arrangement of Ti^IV-³Fe^II-Cu^I.

Solid-State Nonlinear Optical Properties of Mononuclear Copper(II) Complexes with Chiral Tridentate and Tetradentate Schiff Base Ligands

Salen-type metal complexes have been actively studied for their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, and push-pull compounds with charge asymmetry generated by electron releasing and withdrawing groups have shown promising results. As a continuation of our research in this field and aiming at solid-state features, herein we report on the synthesis of mononuclear copper(II) derivatives bearing either tridentate N₂O Schiff bases L^(a−c)− and pyridine as the forth ancillary ligand, [Cu(L^a−c)(py)](ClO₄) (1a–c), or unsymmetrically-substituted push-pull tetradentate N₂O₂ Schiff base ligands, [Cu(5-A-5′-D-saldpen/chxn)] (2a–c), both derived from 5-substituted salicylaldehydes (sal) and the diamines (1R,2R)-1,2-diphenylethanediamine (dpen) and (1S,2S)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (chxn). All compounds were characterized through elemental analysis, infrared and UV/visible spectroscopies, and mass spectrometry in order to guarantee their purity and assess their charge transfer properties. The structures of 1a–c were determined via single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The geometries of cations of 1a–c and of molecules 2a–c were optimized through DFT calculations. The solid-state NLO behavior was measured by the Kurtz–Perry powder technique @1.907 µm. All chiral derivatives possess non-zero quadratic electric susceptibility (χ⁽²⁾) and an efficiency of about 0.15–0.45 times that of standard urea.

In situ reversible redox switching of first hyperpolarizability of bimetallic ruthenium complexes

In this article we report the reversible redox switching of first hyperpolarizability of bimetallic ruthenium complexes bridged by bipyridyl tetrazine (bptz) ligands by second harmonic light scattering experiments (SHLS). We have synthesised [RuII(acac)₂(CH₃CN)₂] and [(acac)₂Ru-bptz-Ru(acac)₂] complexes and measured their first hyperpolarizabilities as a function of in situ electrochemical oxidation/reduction of the metal centres. As a result of the oxidation of ruthenium centre from Ru(ii) to Ru(iii), the molecular hyperpolarizability of the complexes went up. The mixed-valence intermediate bimetallic complex and not the fully oxidized complex exhibit the highest β value of 780 × 10^-30 esu. We also demonstrated that the hyperpolarizability is reversible with the change of the oxidation state of the metal and both the complexes are stable for several cycles of redox switching. The experimental results are also supported by calculations.

Perspectives of ferrocenyl chalcones: synthetic scaffolds toward biomedical and materials science applications

Ferrocene and its derivatives constitute versatile and interesting scaffolds for the global chemical enterprise due to its multiple applications that range from biomedical to materials science. Ferrocenyl derivatives are the leading compounds in our research for the syntheses and characterization as well as their potential biological applications. Among them, our recent focus has been in ferrocenyl chalcones as a framework for further derivatization. The proposed modifications consist on the incorporation of heterocyclic moieties into the ferrocenyl chalcone core. This can be afforded either by introducing a heterocyclic aromatic moiety as a substituent or functionalizing the α-β unsaturated system. Another modification explored is the formation of ammonium or pyridinium salts to increase water solubility. Studied ferrocenyl chalcones exhibit remarkable stability, physical, and electrochemical properties. These factors have led the approaches for them to be precursors of biologically active compounds (cancer, bacteria, malaria, and neurobiological diseases). Moreover, other potential applications include molecular materials, redox-sensors, and polymers. Our goal in this mini review is to highlight the chemistry of ferrocene derivatives with particular prominence to those ferrocenyl chalcones studied in our laboratory and their applications. Moreover, we are providing a background on ferrocene, chalcones, and ferrocenyl chalcones, emphasizing the methodologies with preeminent yields.

On the Nature of Interplay among Major Flexibility Channels in Molecular Rotors

As a part of our interest in the excited-state dynamics of flexible materials, we have undertaken a theoretical investigation to the photo-induced reactions of 2-[4-(dimethylamino)benzylidene]malononitrile (BMN) by a combination of the density functional theory, its extended time-dependent (TD-DFT) single reference, and ab initio molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The results showed that double-bond twisting and the neighbor single-bond twisting togetherness in the excited singlet state is the most important nonradiative deactivation channel to the ground state. Double- and single-bond twisting insert clear intersections among the potential energy surfaces of the singlet states (especially S1/S0) leading to fluorescence quenching. Furthermore, effects of molecular dynamic simulations on molecular properties in the femtosecond to picosecond time domain are studied to validate the results. In agreement with the experimental results, the findings conclude the existence of a flexible geometry-dependent single emission band. Such a study may give information on how the molecule could be externally modified/fixed to yield a desired effect, i.e., more fluorescence or more nonradiative decay.

Push–pull unsymmetrical substitution in nickel(ii) complexes with tetradentate N2O2 Schiff base ligands: synthesis, structures and linear–nonlinear optical studies

Push–pull unsymmetrical substitution efficiently modulates the electronic, linear and nonlinear optical properties of nickel(ii) complexes with salen-type ligands.

Redox-switching of ternary Ni(ii) and Cu(ii) complexes: synthesis, experimental and theoretical studies along with second-order nonlinear optical properties

The redox-switching behavior of the title compounds has been probed for the Ni(ii) derivatives using time-resolved spectroelectrochemistry under thin-layer conditions.

Can Electrochemical Measurements Be Used To Predict X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Data? The Case of Ferrocenyl-β-Diketonato Complexes of Manganese(III)

In order to better understand intramolecular communication between molecular fragments, a series of ferrocene-functionalized β-diketonato manganese(III) complexes, [Mn(FcCOCHCOR)₃] with R = CF₃, 1, CH₃, 2, Ph = C₆H₅, 3, and Fc = Fe^II(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η⁵-C₅H₅), 4, the mixed ligand β-diketonato complex [Mn(FcCOCHCOFc)₂(FcCOCHCOCH₃)], 5, as well as the acac complex [Mn(CH₃COCHCOCH₃)₃], 6, were subjected to an electrochemical and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study. The ferrocenyl (Fe^II) and Mn^III redox potentials, E°', and photoelectron lines were sufficiently resolved in each complex to demonstrate a linear correlation between E°' and group electronegativities of ligand R groups, χ_R, or Σχ_R, as well as with binding energies of both the Fe 2p_3/2 and Mn 2p_3/2 photoelectron lines. These relationships are consistent with effective communication between molecular fragments of 1-5. From these relationships, prediction of Mn and Fe core electron binding energies in [Mn(R¹COCHCOR²)₃] complexes from known manganese and/or ferrocenyl redox potentials are, therefore, now possible. Ligand infrared carbonyl stretching frequencies were successfully related to binding energy as a measure of the energy required for inner-sphere reorganization. In particular it became possible to explain why, upon electrochemical oxidation or photoionization, the ferrocenyl Fe^II inner-shell of 1-5 needs more energy in complexes with ligands bearing electron-withdrawing (CF₃) groups than in ligands bearing electron-donating groups such as ferrocenyl. The XPS determined entity I_ratio (the ratio between the intensities of the satellite and main metal 2p_3/2 photoelectron lines) is an indication not only of the amount of charge transferred, but also of the degree of inner-sphere reorganization. Just as for binding energy, the quantity I_ratio was also found to be related to the energy requirements for the inner-sphere reorganization depicted by the vibrational frequency, v_co.

Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking Facilitates Metal-to-Ligand Charge Transfer: A Quantitative Two-Photon Absorption Study of Ferrocene-phenyleneethynylene Oligomers

Change of the permanent molecular electric dipole moment, Δμ, in a series of nominally centrosymmetric and noncentrosymmteric ferrocene-phenyleneethynylene oligomers was estimated by measuring the two-photon absorption cross-section spectra of the lower energy metal-to-ligand charge-transfer transitions using femtosecond nonlinear transmission method and was found to vary in the range up to 12 D, with the highest value corresponding to the most nonsymmetric system. Calculations of the Δμ performed by the TD-DFT method show quantitative agreement with the experimental values and reveal that facile rotation of the ferrocene moieties relative to the organic ligand breaks the ground-state inversion symmetry in the nominally symmetric structures.