Synthesis and Characterization of a 2,1,3-Benzothiadiazole-b-alkyne-b-1,4- bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)benzene Terpolymer, a Stable Low-Band-Gap Poly(heteroaryleneethynylene)

Poly(aryleneethynylene)s (PAE) as paradigmatic sensor cores

What you need to know about poly(aryleneethynylene)s as sensory materials. A tutorial of fundamental properties and new developments since 2009.

Two-photon absorption properties of proquinoidal D-A-D and A-D-A quadrupolar chromophores

We report the synthesis, one- and two-photon absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence, and electrochemical properties of a series of quadrupolar molecules that feature proquinoidal π-aromatic acceptors. These quadrupolar molecules possess either donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) or acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) electronic motifs, and feature 4-N,N-dihexylaminophenyl, 4-dodecyloxyphenyl, 4-(N,N-dihexylamino)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazolyl or 2,5-dioctyloxyphenyl electron donor moieties and benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BTD) or 6,7-bis(3',7'-dimethyloctyl)[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline (TDQ) electron acceptor units. These conjugated structures are highly emissive in nonpolar solvents and exhibit large spectral red-shifts of their respective lowest energy absorption bands relative to analogous reference compounds that incorporate phenylene components in place of BTD and TDQ moieties. BTD-based D-A-D and A-D-A chromophores exhibit increasing fluorescence emission red-shifts, and a concomitant decrease of the fluorescence quantum yield (Φ(f)) with increasing solvent polarity; these data indicate that electronic excitation augments benzothiadiazole electron density via an internal charge transfer mechanism. The BTD- and TDQ-containing structures exhibit blue-shifted two-photon absorption (TPA) spectra relative to their corresponding one-photon absorption (OPA) spectra, and display high TPA cross sections (>100 GM) within these spectral windows. D-A-D and A-D-A structures that feature more extensive conjugation within this series of compounds exhibit larger TPA cross sections consistent with computational simulation. Factors governing TPA properties of these quadrupolar chromophores are discussed within the context of a three-state model.

Conjugated polymers with large effective Stokes shift: benzobisdioxole-based poly(phenylene ethynylene)s

Phenyleneethynylene-based conjugated copolymers using benzo[1,2-d:4,5-d']bis[1,3]dioxole (BDO) in the repeating unit are reported. The electronic structure of the BDO unit imparts a localized HOMO topology while the LUMO is delocalized over the polymer backbone, so that the lowest optical absorption band of the polymer has considerable intramolecular charge transfer character. This contrasts with published donor-acceptor polymers with localized LUMO and delocalized HOMO. The very large Stokes shifts of the monomers, which are due to the small oscillator strength of the lowest optical transition, are largely retained in the polymers as a result of covalently constrained dihedral angles in the substituents (not the backbone), as predicted/explained by calculations.

Design of Cationic Conjugated Polyelectrolytes for DNA Concentration Determination

Cationic conjugated polyelectrolytes poly110 and poly120 were designed, synthesized, and characterized with the anticipation of function in the determination of double-stranded DNA concentration [dsDNA]. Their structures contain a pi-delocalized optically active backbone composed of phenylene-fluorene segments copolymerized with 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BT) units and charged pendant groups that allow excellent solubility in water. The subscript in poly1x refers to the molar percent of BT units in the chain. Addition of dsDNA to poly110 or poly120 results in a change in the color of emission from blue to green. These spectral changes can be treated to obtain the parameter delta, which can be used to generate calibration curves that indicate [dsDNA]. Analysis of photoluminescence spectra reveals that dsDNA addition gives rise to more efficient FRET from blue emitting segments to the BT sites, an increase in the BT emission quantum yield, and partial quenching of the phenylene-fluorene segments. Studies were also carried out to maximize the range of [dsDNA] determination. We find that by combining the response from two different initial concentrations of poly110, it is possible to generate calibration curves that respond with a difference in [dsDNA] of over 7 orders of magnitude.

Novel 2,1,3-Benzothiadiazole-Based Red-Fluorescent Dyes with Enhanced Two-Photon Absorption Cross-Sections

This paper reports the two-photon absorbing and orange-red fluorescence emitting properties of a series of new 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BTD)-based D-pi-A-pi-D-type and star-burst-type fluorescent dyes. In the D-pi-A-pi-D-type dyes 1-6, a central BTD core was connected with two terminal N,N-disubstituted amino groups via various pi-conjugated spacers. The star-burst-type dyes 8 and 10 have a three-branched structure composed of a central core (benzene core in 8 and triphenylamine core in 10) and three triphenylamine-containing BTD branches. All the BTD-based dyes displayed intense orange-red color fluorescence in a region of 550-689 nm, which was obtained by single-photon excitation with good fluorescent quantum yield up to 0.98 as well as by two-photon excitation. Large two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-sections (110-800 GM) of these BTD dyes were evaluated by open aperture Z-scan technique with a femtosecond Ti/sapphire laser. The TPA cross-sections of D-pi-A-pi-D-type dyes 2-6 with a benzene, thiophene, ethene, ethyne, and styrene moiety, respectively, as an additional pi-conjugated spacer are about 1.5-2.5 times larger than that of 1c with only a benzene spacer. The TPA cross-sections significantly increased in three-branched star-burst-type BTDs 8 (780 GM) with a benzene core and 10 (800 GM) with a triphenylamine core, which are about 3-5 times larger than those of the corresponding one-dimensional sub-units 9 (170 GM) and 11 (230 GM), respectively. The ratios of sigma/e(pi) between three-branched and one-dimensional dyes were 6.5:3.8 (for 8 and 9) and 6.0:4.0 (for 10 and 11), which are larger than those predicted simply on the basis of the chromophore number density (1:1), according to a cooperative enhancement of the two-photon absorbing nature in the three-branched system.

Photoinduced Charge Separation and Charge Recombination in the [60]Fullerene−Diphenylbenzothiadiazole−Triphenylamine Triad: Role of Diphenylbenzothiadiazole as Bridge

Photoinduced electron-transfer processes of the newly synthesized [60]fullerene-diphenylbenzothiadiazole-triphenylamine (C60-PBTDP-TPA) triad in polar and nonpolar solvents have been studied by using time-resolved transient absorption and fluorescence measurements from picosecond to microsecond regions. By fluorescence lifetime measurements in picosecond time regions, excitation of the charge-transfer transition of the PBTDP-TPA moiety in C60-PBTDP-TPA induces energy transfer to the C60 moiety generating 1C60*-PBTDP-TPA, competitively with charge separation generating C60*--PBTDP-TPA*+. From 1C60*-PBTDP-TPA, which is generated directly and indirectly, charge separation occurs generating C60*--PBTDP-TPA*+ in polar solvents. The C60*--PBTDP-TPA*+ formed via the singlet excited states decayed within a few nanoseconds as revealed by the picosecond transient absorption spectra. In the nanosecond time region, C60*--PBTDP-TPA*+ is produced slowly, probably via 3C60*-PBTDP-TPA. Lifetimes of such slowly generated C60*--PBTDP-TPA*+ were longer than 1 micros, which are the longest values among the C60-bridge-TPA triad systems reported hitherto at room temperature. Roles of the PBTDP-TPA moiety with twisted intermolecular charge-transfer character playing as energy donor and electron donor in addition to the bridge have been disclosed.

Potentiometric, Electronic Structural, and Ground- and Excited-State Optical Properties of Conjugated Bis[(Porphinato)zinc(II)] Compounds Featuring Proquinoidal Spacer Units

We report the synthesis, optical, electrochemical, electronic structural, and transient optical properties of conjugated (porphinato)zinc(II)-spacer-(porphinato)zinc(II) (PZn-Sp-PZn) complexes that possess intervening conjugated Sp structures having varying degrees of proquinoidal character. These supermolecular PZn-Sp-PZn compounds feature Sp moieties {(4,7-diethynylbenzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (E-BTD-E), 6,13-diethynylpentacene (E-PC-E), 4,9-diethynyl-6,7-dimethyl[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline (E-TDQ-E), and 4,8-diethynylbenzo[1,2-c:4,5-c']bis([1,2,5]thiadiazole) (E-BBTD-E)} that regulate frontier orbital energy levels and progressively increase the extent of the quinoidal resonance contribution to the ground and electronically excited states, augmenting the magnitude of electronic communication between terminal (5,-10,20-di(aryl)porphinato)zinc(II) units, relative to that evinced for a bis[(5,5',-10,20-di(aryl)porphinato)zinc(II)]butadiyne benchmark (PZnE-EPZn). Electronic absorption spectra show significant red-shifts of the respective PZn-Sp-PZn x-polarized Q state (S0 --> S1) transition manifold maxima (240-4810 cm(-1)) relative to that observed for PZnE-EPZn. Likewise, the potentiometrically determined PZn-Sp-PZn HOMO-LUMO gaps (E1/2(0/+) - E1/2(-/0)) display correspondingly diminished energy separations that range from 1.88 to 1.11 eV relative to that determined for PZnE-EPZn (2.01 eV). Electronic structure calculations provide insight into the origin of the observed PZn-Sp-PZn electronic and optical properties. Pump-probe transient spectral data for these PZn-Sp-PZn supermolecules demonstrate that the S1 --> S(n) transition manifolds of these species span an unusually broad spectral domain of the NIR. Notably, the absorption maxima of these S1 --> S(n) manifolds can be tuned over a 1000-1600 nm spectral region, giving rise to intense excited-state transitions approximately 4000 cm(-1) lower in energy than that observed for the analogous excited-state absorption maximum of the PZnE-EPZn benchmark; these data highlight the unusually large quinoidal resonance contribution to the low-lying electronically excited singlet states of these PZn-Sp-PZn species. The fact that the length scales of the PZn-Sp-PZn species (approximately 25 angstrom) are small with respect to those of classic conducting polymers, yet possess NIR S1 --> S(n) manifold absorptions lower in energy, underscore the unusual electrooptic properties of these conjugated structures.