Optical limiting and nonlinear optical studies of ferrocenyl substituted calixarenes

Crystal growth and characterization of second- and third-order nonlinear optical chalcone derivative: (2E)-3-(5-bromo-2-thienyl)-1-(4-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one

Experimental and computational studies of linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of (2E)-3-(5-bromo-2-thienyl)-1-(4-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (5B2SNC) single crystals are reported. Good-quality and large-sized single crystals of 5B2SNC were successfully grown and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and high-resolution X-ray diffractometry techniques. 5B2SNC was found to crystallize in the monoclinic noncentrosymmetric space group Cc and possesses moderately good crystalline perfection. The linear optical properties were investigated using the absorption spectrum, which reveals a direct optical band gap of 3.1 eV. The thermal stability was studied with thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis. The powder second harmonic generation efficiency was evaluated by the Kurtz and Perry method, and 5B2SNC was found to be 26 times more efficient than urea standard. Third-order NLO properties were studied by the z-scan technique with a femtosecond laser. The second hyperpolarizability was obtained to be ∼1.45 × 10−31 e.s.u. The molecule reveals a strong reverse saturation absorption and negative nonlinear refraction. The molecule exhibited good optical limiting properties, and its limiting threshold was measured to be ∼3.2 mJ cm−2. In addition, static electric dipole moments, linear polarizabilities, and first- and second-order hyperpolarizabilities were calculated by density functional theory (DFT). Highest occupied molecular orbital/lowest unoccupied molecular orbital band gaps were also evaluated by DFT calculations. The experimental and theoretical results showed that 5B2SNC exhibits excellent second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties.

C3-Symmetric star shaped donor–acceptor truxenes: synthesis and photophysical, electrochemical and computational studies

This manuscript reports the design and synthesis of C₃-symmetric star shaped donor and acceptor substituted truxenes 6, 7, 10 and 11 using Pd-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling and [2+2] cycloaddition–retroelectrocyclization reactions.

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.

C2-Symmetric ferrocenyl bisthiazoles: synthesis, photophysical, electrochemical and DFT studies

A series of donor-acceptor ferrocenyl substituted bisthiazoles 3-8 were designed and synthesized by the Pd-catalyzed Suzuki, Heck, and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions. Their photophysical, electrochemical and computational studies reveal strong donor-acceptor interactions. The photonic and electrochemical studies show that the ferrocenyl bisthiazoles with vinyl linkage ferrocenyl-bisthiazole 4, show better electronic communication compared to rest of the ferrocenyl bisthiazoles. The time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculation at B3LYP on the ferrocenyl substituted bisthiazoles 3-5 was performed, in which the ferrocenyl-bisthiazole 4 shows strong donor-acceptor interactions compared to the Fc-bisthiazoles 3 and 5. The thermal stability of the ferrocenyl substituted bisthiazoles 3-8 is reported, in which Fc-bisthiazole 8 shows high thermal stability. The single crystal structures of ferrocenyl-bisthiazoles 3 and 5 are reported.

Heteroatom-connected ferrocenyl substituted naphthalimides

A family of heteroatom (oxygen, sulphur and nitrogen) connected ferrocenyl naphthalimides 3a–3f were designed and synthesized by the nucleophilic aromatic substitution and Buchwald coupling reactions.