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Polak DW, do Casal MT, Toldo JM, Hu X, Amoruso G, Pomeranc O, Heeney M, Barbatti M, Ashfold MNR, Oliver TAA. Probing the electronic structure and photophysics of thiophene-diketopyrrolopyrrole derivatives in solution. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:20138-20151. [PMID: 35993400 PMCID: PMC9429679 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03238d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Diketopyrrolopyrroles are a popular class of electron-withdrawing unit in optoelectronic materials. When combined with electron donating side-chain functional groups such as thiophenes, they form a very broad class of donor-acceptor molecules: thiophene-diketopyrrolopyrroles (TDPPs). Despite their widescale use in biosensors and photovoltaic materials, studies have yet to establish the important link between the electronic structure of the specific TDPP and the critical optical properties. To bridge this gap, ultrafast transient absorption with 22 fs time resolution has been used to explore the photophysics of three prototypical TDPP molecules: a monomer, dimer and polymer in solution. Interpretation of experimental data was assisted by a recent high-level theoretical study, and additional density functional theory calculations. These studies show that the photophysics of these molecular prototypes under visible photoexcitation are determined by just two excited electronic states, having very different electronic characters (one is optically bright, the other dark), their relative energetic ordering and the timescales for internal conversion from one to the other and/or to the ground state. The underlying difference in electronic structure alters the branching between these excited states and their associated dynamics. In turn, these factors dictate the fluorescence quantum yields, which are shown to vary by ∼1-2 orders of magnitude across the TDPP prototypes investigated here. The fast non-radiative transfer of molecules from the bright to dark states is mediated by conical intersections. Remarkably, wavepacket signals in the measured transient absorption data carry signatures of the nuclear motions that enable mixing of the electronic-nuclear wavefunction and facilitate non-adiabatic coupling between the bright and dark states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Polak
- School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
| | | | | | - Xiantao Hu
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, White City Campus, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Giordano Amoruso
- School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
| | - Olivia Pomeranc
- School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
| | - Martin Heeney
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, White City Campus, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Mario Barbatti
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, ICR, Marseille, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75231, Paris, France
| | - Michael N R Ashfold
- School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
| | - Thomas A A Oliver
- School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.
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Gauci V, Seddon A, Adams DJ. Synthesis and characterisation of diketopyrrolopyrrole-based hydrogels. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:3756-3761. [PMID: 35506734 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00277a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) based materials can be easily tuned by functionalising with groups that extend the conjugation and thus alter the electronic properties. When attaching thiophenes to give dithiophene-diketopyrrolopyrroles (DTDPPs), a donor-acceptor-donor system is created that is suitable for charge-transfer applications. This core also promotes π-stacking and hydrophobic interactions. Here, we describe a number of DTDPPs functionalised with amino acids that undergo pH-trigerred gelation. We show that the optical properties of our DTDPPs are affected by whether the amino acids have aromatic or aliphatic side chains. We also describe the effect of solvent polarity. We have successfully produced hydrogels via a pH trigger with examples containing phenylalanine (F), valine (V), leucine (L) and alanine (A) amino acids. Viscosity and small angle X-ray scattering measurements show the presence of micellar structures in solution in water at pH 10.5, with gelation starting at a pH less than 7 due to the formation of a fibrous network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Gauci
- School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Annela Seddon
- School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL, UK
| | - Dave J Adams
- School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
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Kulhánek J, Klikar M, Pytela O, Almonasy N, Tydlitát J, Bureš F. Quadrupolar fluorophores with tetrafluorobenzene central electron acceptor. J Fluor Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfluchem.2021.109735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Raikwar MM, Patil DS, Mathew E, Varghese M, Joe IH, Sekar N. Influence of thiophene spacer and auxiliary acceptor on the optical properties of 4-(Diethylamino)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde based D-π-A-π-D Colorants with N-alkyl donors: Experimental, DFT and Z-scan study. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2018.12.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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