Fluorenylvinylenes bridged triphenylamine-based dyes with enhanced performance in dye-sensitized solar cells

Achieving tricolor luminescence switching from a stimuli-responsive luminophore based on a bisarylic methanone derivative

A new, D–A type bisarylic methanone π-architecture DBF-BZ-TPA with highly distorted molecular conformations exhibits a unique ICT effect, intense solid-state fluorescence, and high-contrast and tricolor luminescence switching.

Bis(Triphenylamine)Benzodifuran Chromophores: Synthesis, Electronic Properties and Application in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

A series of bis(triphenylamine)benzodifuran chromophores have been synthesized and fully characterised. Starting from suitably functionalized benzodifuran (BDF) precursors, two triphenylamine (TPA) moieties are symmetrically coupled to a central BDF unit either at 4,8-positions through double bonds (1) and single bonds (2) respectively, or at 2,6-positions through double bonds (3). Their electronic absorption and photoluminescence properties as well as redox behaviour have been investigated in detail, indicating that the π-extended conjugation via vinyl linkers in 1 and 3 leads to comparatively strong electronic interactions between the relevant redox moieties TPA and BDF. Due to intriguing electronic properties and structural planarity, 3a has been applied as a dopant emitter in organic light-emitting diodes. A yellowish-green OLED exhibits a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 6.2%, thus exceeding the theoretical upper limit most likely due to energy transfer from an interface exciplex to an emissive layer and/or favorable horizontal orientation.

A perylene monoimide probe based fluorescent micelle sensor for the selective and sensitive detection of picric acid

A hydroxyl functionalized perylene monoimide probe (PMI-OH) was prepared and self-assembled with the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX100) to fabricate a fluorescent micelle sensor for the selective and sensitive detection of picric acid (PA), a common explosive and environmental pollutant. The synthesized PMI-OH probe exhibited excimer fluorescence emission, and the intensity of the excimer fluorescence emission was significantly enhanced after the PMI-OH probe formed micelles with TX100. The obtained PMI-OH@TX100 micelles presented excellent photoluminescence properties and had a maximum fluorescence emission at 630 nm. The red fluorescence of the PMI-OH@TX100 micelles was quenched upon introduction of the nitro explosive PA due to electron transfer from the donor (PMI-OH) to the acceptor (PA). The fluorescence quenching of the fluorescent micelle sensor was proportional to the concentration of PA in the range of 2 to 10 μM. The limit of detection was 500 nM using 3σ/k. Thus, the developed PMI-OH@TX100 micelle sensor has great potential to detect PA in ordinary samples.

A turn-on fluorescent BOPHY probe for Cu2+ ion detection

A novel D–π–A type fluorine–boron compound BOPHY-PTZ was synthesized and employed as a “turn on” fluorescent probe for the sensitive detection of Cu²⁺ ions.

Multi-stimuli responsive fluorescent behaviors of a donor–π–acceptor phenothiazine modified benzothiazole derivative

Donor–π–acceptor type phenothiazine modified benzothiazole derivative PVBT exhibited multi-stimuli responsive fluorescent properties.

Aggregation-induced emission and reversible mechanochromic luminescence of carbazole-based triphenylacrylonitrile derivatives

Conjugated organic molecules exhibiting AIE are characterized by the strongly twisted conjugated skeleton, which could provide loose intermolecular stacking and weak π–π interactions in the solid state to generate stimuli-responsive materials.

Recent progress in organic sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells

This review focuses on recent progress of metal-free sensitizers and on panchromatic engineering of co-sensitization in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).

New D–π–A organic dyes containing a tert-butyl-capped indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole donor with bithiophene unit as π-linker for dye-sensitized solar cells

A new kind of D–π–A organic dye containing a tert-butyl-capped indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole unit as a donor with bithiophene unit as a π bridge and cyanoacrylic acid as an acceptor has been designed and synthesized for DSSCs.

Pyrene functionalized triphenylamine-based dyes: synthesis, photophysical properties and applications in OLEDs

Pyrene functionalized triphenylamine-based dyes TP, TCP and TCCP were synthesized via alternate Heck and Wittig reactions. It was found that they could emit strong green light with high fluorescence yields because the formation of the excimer from a pyrene unit was suppressed completely. Moreover, the nondoped organic light-emitting diodes using TP, TCP and TCCP as the emitters as well as the hole-transporting materials were fabricated, and gave green electroluminescence. Notably, the device based on TP exhibited good performance with a low turn-on voltage of 2.80 V, a high maximum luminance of 29 880 cd m−2 at 9.5 V, a high current efficiency of 3.34 cd A−1, and a high power efficiency of 2.67 lm w−1. It suggested that pyrene functionalized triphenylamine derivatives may have applications in non-doped OLEDs.

Photophysical and electrochemical properties, and molecular structures of organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on organic dyes adsorbed on oxide semiconductor electrodes, such as TiO(2), ZnO, or NiO, which have emerged as a new generation of sustainable photovoltaic devices, have attracted much attention from chemists, physicists, and engineers because of enormous scientific interest in not only their construction and operational principles, but also in their high incident-solar-light-to-electricity conversion efficiency and low cost of production. To develop high-performance DSSCs, it is important to create efficient organic dye sensitizers, which should be optimized for the photophysical and electrochemical properties of the dyes themselves, with molecular structures that provide good light-harvesting features, good electron communication between the dye and semiconductor electrode and between the dye and electrolyte, and to control the molecular orientation and arrangement of the dyes on a semiconductor surface. The aim of this Review is not to make a list of a number of organic dye sensitizers developed so far, but to provide a new direction in the epoch-making molecular design of organic dyes for high photovoltaic performance and long-term stability of DSSCs, based on the accumulated knowledge of their photophysical and electrochemical properties, and molecular structures of the organic dye sensitizers developed so far.