Electrochromic and electrofluorochromic properties of a new boron dipyrromethene–ferrocene conjugate

Biomimetic Exploration and Reflection on Switchable Coordination and Narrow-Band Electrofluorochromic Devices

Electrofluorochromic (EFC) materials and devices with controllable fluorescence properties show great application potential in advanced anticounterfeiting, information storage and display. However, the low color purity caused by the broad emission spectra and underperforming switching time of the existing EFC materials limit their application. Through biomimetic exploration and the study of reversible electrochemical responsive coordination reactions, boron-nitrogen embedded polyaromatics (B,N-PAHs) with narrow-band emission and high color purity have been successfully integrated into EFC systems, which also help to better understand the role of boron in biological activity. The EFC device achieve good performance containing quenching efficiency greater than 90% within short switching time (ton: 0.6 s, toff: 2.4 s), and nearly no performance change after 200 cycles test. Three primary color (red, green, and blue) EFC devices are successfully prepared. In addition, new phenomena are obtained and discussed in this biomimetic exploration of related boron reactions. The success and harvest of this exploration are expected to provide new ideas for optimizing properties and broadening applications of EFC materials. Moreover, it may provide ideas and reference significance for further exploring and understanding the function of boron compounds in biological systems.

Anion Sensing through Redox-Modulated Fluorescent Halogen Bonding and Hydrogen Bonding Hosts

Anion sensing via either optical or electrochemical readouts has separately received enormous attention, however, a judicious combination of the advantages of both modalities remains unexplored. Toward this goal, we herein disclose a series of novel, redox-active, fluorescent, halogen bonding (XB) and hydrogen bonding (HB) BODIPY-based anion sensors, wherein the introduction of a ferrocene motif induces remarkable changes in the fluorescence response. Extensive fluorescence anion titration, lifetime and electrochemical studies reveal anion binding-induced emission modulation through intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer (PET), the magnitude of which is dependent on the nature of both the XB/HB donor and anion. Impressively, the XB sensor outperformed its HB congener in terms of anion binding strength and fluorescence switching magnitude, displaying significant fluorescence turn-OFF upon anion binding. In contrast, redox-inactive control receptors display a turn-ON response, highlighting the pronounced impact of the introduction of the redox-active ferrocene on the optical sensing performance. Additionally, the redox-active ferrocene motif also serves as an electrochemical reporter group, enabling voltammetric anion sensing in competitive solvents. The combined advantages of both sensing modalities were further exploited in a novel, proof-of-principle, fluorescence spectroelectrochemical anion sensing approach, enabling simultaneous and sensitive read out of optical and electrochemical responses in multiple oxidation states and at very low receptor concentration.

Similar, Yet Different: Long-Range Metal-Metal Coupling and Electron-Transfer Processes in Metal-Free 5,10,15,20-Tetra(ruthenocenyl)porphyrin

The electronic structure, redox properties, and long-range metal-metal coupling in metal-free 5,10,15,20-tetra(ruthenocenyl)porphyrin (H₂TRcP) were probed by spectroscopic (NMR, UV-vis, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)), electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry, CV, and differential pulse voltammetry, DPV), spectroelectrochemical, and chemical oxidation methods, as well as theoretical (density functional theory, DFT, and time-dependent DFT, TDDFT) approaches. It was demonstrated that the spectroscopic properties of H₂TRcP are significantly different from those in H₂TFcP (metal-free 5,10,15,20-tetra(ferrocenyl)porphyrin). Ruthenocenyl fragments in H₂TRcP have higher oxidation potentials than the ferrocene groups in the H₂TFcP complex. Similar to H₂TFcP, we were able to access and spectroscopically characterize the one- and two-electron oxidized mixed-valence states in the H₂TRcP system. DFT predicts that the porphyrin π-system stabilizes the [H₂TRcP]⁺ mixed-valence cation and prevents its dimerization, which is characteristic for ruthenocenyl systems. However, formation of the mixed-valence [H₂TRcP]²⁺ is significantly less reproducible than the formation of [H₂TRcP]⁺. DFT and TDDFT calculations suggest the ruthenocenyl fragment dominance in the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy region and the presence of the low-energy MLCT (Rc → porphyrin (π*)) transitions in the visible region with energies higher than the predominantly porphyrin-centered Q-bands.

Multicolored electrochromic and electrofluorochromic materials containing triphenylamine and benzoates

Multicolored electrochromic and electrofluorochromic materials containing triphenylamine and benzoates were developed.

Electroluminochromic Materials: From Molecules to Polymers

Electroluminochromism is an interesting property found in certain classes of molecules and polymers whose photoluminescence can be modulated through the application of an external electrical bias. Unlike electrochromic materials, electroluminochromic counterparts and their applications are comparatively fewer in quantity and are less established. Nonetheless, there prevails an increasing interest in this class of electro-active materials due to their potential applications in optoelectronics, such as smart-displays, and chemical and biological sensing. This review seeks to showcase the different classes of electroluminochromic materials with focus on (i) organic molecules, (ii) transition metal complexes, and (iii) organic polymers. The mechanisms and electroluminochromic performance of these classes of materials are summarized. This review should allow scientists to have a better and deeper understanding of materials design strategies and, more importantly, structure-property relationships and, thus, develops electroluminochromic materials with desired performance in the future.

Molecular lemmings: strategies to avoid when designing BODIPY ferrocene dyads for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Ferrocene-BODIPY (D–π-A) dyes, designed for dye-sensitized solar cell applications, show unprecedented redox behaviour adversely affecting dye stability.

Ferrocene–BODIPYmerocyanine dyads: new NIR absorbing platforms with optical properties susceptible to protonation

Ferrocene–BODIPYmerocyanine dyads 5 and 6 were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and DFT calculations.

Donor acceptor type ferrocene substituted aza-BODIPYs: Synthesis, optical and electrochemical studies

Two ferrocene substituted aza-BODIPYs and their corresponding aza-dipyrrins were synthesized and studied. All the compounds were characterized by HRMS, NMR, IR, absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry techniques. Absorption spectra indicated intramolecular electron transfer from the ferrocene to the aza-BODIPY core. The X-ray crystal structure of 1,7-bisferrocenyl-aza-BODIPY suggested moderate interactions between the ferrocene moieties and aza-BODIPYs core. Ferrocenyl-aza-BODIPYs were non-emissive due to electron transfer from ferrocene moieties to boron aza-dipyrrin core. However the emission of these compounds was dramatically enhanced by oxidizing the ferrocene moieties to ferrocenium ions, which prevents electron transfer between these moieties. Cyclic voltammetry studies suggested that aza-BODIPYs were easier to be reduced as compared to their corresponding aza-dipyrrins.

Swift Electrofluorochromism of Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polytriphenylamines

Electrofluorochromic (EFC) materials, which exhibit electrochemically controllable fluorescence, hold great promise in optoelectronic devices and biological analysis. Here we design such donor-acceptor (D-A) conjugated polymers-P(TPACO) and P(TCEC)-that contain the same electron-rich and oxidizable polytriphenylamine (PTPA) as π-backbone, yet with different electron-deficient ketone and cyano units as pendant groups, respectively. They both exhibit solvatochromic effects due to intrinsic characteristics of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). Compared to P(TPACO), P(TCEC) shows stronger ICT, which leads to higher electrochemical oxidation potential and lower ion diffusion coefficient. Moreover, both polymers present simultaneous electrochromic (EC) and EFC behaviors with multistate display and remarkably rapid fluorescence response. The response time of P(TPACO) is as short as 0.19 s, nearly 4-fold faster than that of P(TCEC) (0.92 s). Such rapid response is found to be determined by the ion diffusion coefficient which is associated with the ICT nature. Finally, the EFC display device based on P(TPACO) is successfully demonstrated, which shows green fluorescence ON/OFF switching upon applied potentials. This work has successfully demonstrated that swift EFCs can be achieved by rational modulation of the ICT effect in such D-A conjugated polymers.

NIR absorbing diferrocene-containing meso-cyano-BODIPY with a UV-Vis-NIR spectrum remarkably close to that of magnesium tetracyanotetraferrocenyltetraazaporphyrin

Diferrocene-containing meso-cyano-BODIPY (4) was prepared and characterized by spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and DFT calculations.

π-Extended tetrathiafulvalene BODIPY (ex-TTF-BODIPY): a redox switched “on–off–on” electrochromic system with two near-infrared fluorescent outputs

Ex-TTF-BODIPY functions as a near-IR electrochromic and electrofluorochromic switch, displaying redox controlled “on–off–on” emission features.