Towards Macroscopically Anisotropic Functionality: Oriented Metallo-supramolecular Polymeric Materials Induced by Magnetic Fields

Based on the predesigned self-selective complexation, metallo-supramolecular P3HT-b-PEO diblock copolymers with varying block ratios were synthesized, and their oriented polymer films generated during solvent evaporation in a 9 T magnetic field were investigated. An anisotropic, ordered layer structure was achieved using [P3HT₂₀ -Zn-PEO₁₀₇ ] and carefully characterized by polarized optical microscopy (POM), AFM, polarized UV/Vis spectroscopy, and GI-SAXS/WAXS. The PEO-removed [P3HT₂₀ -Zn-PEO₁₀₇ ] film was obtained after decomplexation with TEA-EDTA under mild conditions, and the selective removal of PEO domains was evidenced by UV/Vis and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Anisotropic photoconductivity of the magnetically aligned film was evaluated by flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity (FP-TRMC) measurements. The results indicated that the presence of insulating crystalline PEO segments diminished the photoconductivity along the P3HT backbone direction.

Evaluation-oriented exploration of photo energy conversion systems: from fundamental optoelectronics and material screening to the combination with data science

Light is a form of energy that can be converted to electric and chemical energies. Thus, organic photovoltaics (OPVs), perovskite solar cells (PSCs), photocatalysts, and photodetectors have evolved as scientific and commercial enterprises. However, the complex photochemical reactions and multicomponent materials involved in these systems have hampered rapid progress in their fundamental understanding and material design. This review showcases the evaluation-oriented exploration of photo energy conversion materials by using electrodeless time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) and materials informatics (MI). TRMC with its unique options (excitation sources, environmental control, frequency modulation, etc.) provides not only accelerated experimental screening of OPV and PSC materials but also a versatile route toward shedding light on their charge carrier dynamics. Furthermore, MI powered by machine learning is shown to allow extremely high-throughput exploration in the large molecular space, which is compatible with experimental screening and combinatorial synthesis.

Frontiers of solvent-free functional molecular liquids

The breakthrough of functional molecular liquids (FMLs) in cutting-edge research and their fundamental liquid features on the basis of molecular architectures are highlighted in this Feature Article.

Alkyl-π engineering in state control toward versatile optoelectronic soft materials

Organic π-conjugated molecules with extremely rich and tailorable electronic and optical properties are frequently utilized for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices. To achieve high solubility for facile solution processing and desirable softness for flexible device fabrication, the rigid π units were in most cases attached by alkyl chains through chemical modification. Considerable numbers of alkylated-π molecular systems with versatile applications have been reported. However, a profound understanding of the molecular state control through proper alkyl chain substitution is still highly demanded because effective applications of these molecules are closely related to their physical states. To explore the underlying rule, we review a large number of alkylated-π molecules with emphasis on the interplay of van der Waals interactions (vdW) of the alkyl chains and π-π interactions of the π moieties. Based on our comprehensive investigations of the two interactions' impacts on the physical states of the molecules, a clear guidance for state control by alkyl-π engineering is proposed. Specifically, either with proper alkyl chain substitution or favorable additives, the vdW and π-π interactions can be adjusted, resulting in modulation of the physical states and optoelectronic properties of the molecules. We believe the strategy summarized here will significantly benefit the alkyl-π chemistry toward wide-spread applications in optoelectronic devices.

Magnetically induced anisotropic orientation of graphene oxide locked by in situ hydrogelation

A general method to prepare polymer gels containing anisotropically oriented graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was developed, by using the magnetically induced orientation of GO. Under a magnetic field, an aqueous dispersion of GO was gelated by in situ cross-linking polymerization of an acryl monomer and a cross-linker. In the resultant hydrogel, the orientation of GO was retained even in the absence of the magnetic field, because the gel network trapped GO via noncovalent interactions and efficiently suppressed the structural relaxation of GO. The locked structure enabled quantitative investigation on the magnetic orientation of GO using 2D small-angle X-ray scattering, which revealed that GO nanosheets orient parallel to the magnetic field with an order parameter of up to 0.80. Systematic studies with varying gelation conditions indicate that the present method can afford a wide range of GO-hybridized anisotropic materials, in terms of GO alignment direction, sample shape, and GO concentration. Also by virtue of the locked structure, the orientation of GO in the hydrogel was well preserved throughout the in situ chemical reduction of GO, yielding an RGO-hybridized anisotropic hydrogel, as well as the conversion of the hydrogel into organo- and ionogels through the replacement of the internal water with solvents. As a preliminary demonstration of the present method for practical application, a polymer-composite film containing RGO oriented vertical to the film surface was prepared, and its anisotropically enhanced electroconductivity along the orientation direction of RGO was confirmed by the flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity measurement.

First synthesis and aggregation behaviour of periconjugated triazoliumfullerene

Triazoliumfullerene was first prepared by the [3+2] cycloaddition of in situ generated 1,3-diaza-2-azoniaallene with fullerene and was characterized by the dispersed positive charge over the fullerene sphere associated with periconjugation. This new type of amphiphilic fullerene tended to form vesicles and crystalline aggregates after the casting of THF or MeOH solutions.

Fullerene assemblies toward photo-energy conversions

Manipulating the molecular interaction and assembly of fullerene derivatives leads to their enhanced photoconductivity and applications in photo-energy (electric and thermal) conversion systems.

Electronic and electrochemical properties as well as flowerlike supramolecular assemblies of fulleropyrrolidines bearing ester substituents with different alkyl chain lengths

Flowerlike supramolecular architectures, obtained from a series of energetically PCBM-like and high C₆₀ content (76–79%) fulleropyrrolidines FP1–FP4, were lamellar structures with alkyl chain length dependent thickness of a bilayer structure.