Synthesis and physical investigation of donor-donor and acceptor-acceptor end-functionalized monodisperse poly(triacetylene) oligomers

Expanding the chemical structure space of opto-electronic molecular materials: unprecedented push-pull chromophores by reaction of a donor-substituted tetracyanofulvene with electron-rich alkynes

The reaction of a 3,5-bis(N,N-dimethylanilino)-substituted 2,4,6,6-tetracyanopentafulvene (TCPF) with mono- and bis(N,N-dimethylanilino)acetylene provides facile access to push-pull chromophores with diverse new scaffolds. The starting TCPF reacts with bis(N,N-dimethylanilino)acetylene in a formal [2+2] cycloaddition at the exocyclic double bond, followed by retroelectrocyclization, to yield an ethenylene-extended push-pull pentafulvene. The transformation with 4-ethynyl-N,N-dimethylaniline also yields a similar extended pentafulvene as well as two other products that required X-ray analysis for their structure elucidation. One features an 8,8-dicyanoheptafulvene core formed by formal [2+2] cycloaddition, followed by ring opening via fragmentation. The second is a chiral cyclobutenylated tetrahydropentalene, resulting from a cascade of formal [6+2] and [2+2] cycloadditions. All new nonplanar push-pull chromophores display amphoteric redox behavior with both strong electron-donating and -accepting potency. Notably, the N,N-dimethylanilino-substituted extended pentafulvenes show remarkably low oxidation potentials (0.27/0.28 V vs Fc/Fc(+) reference) that are lower than those for N,N-dimethylaniline itself. The push-pull-substituted extended pentafulvenes feature intense electronic absorption bands, extending over the entire visible spectral range into the near infrared, and low highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gaps. These properties, together with high thermal stability and good solubility, suggest the potential use of the new chromophores as advanced materials in molecular electronics devices.

Interchain impacts on electronic structures of heterocyclic oligomers and polymers containing group 14, 15, and 16 heteroatoms: quantum chemical calculations in combination with molecular dynamics simulations

The packing structures and packing effects on excitation energies of oligomers of polyfuran (PFu), polypyrrole (PPy), polycyclopentidene (PCp), polythiophene (PTh), polyphosphole (PPh), and polysilole (PSi) are comparatively studied by employing molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations. The dependence of packing structures on the main group of heteroatoms in the five-membered heterocyclic oligomers is exhibited from MD simulations. The planarity of backbones and the population of pi-stacked structures increase with the heteroatoms going from group 14 to group 16; i.e., PCp < PPy < PFu; PSi < PPh < PTh. The polymers with the third row elements, PSi and PPh, tend to have larger chain flexibilities in the packing systems than those with the second row elements, PCp and PPy, respectively. On the basis of the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation (MP2) and natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations of the pi-stacked pairs, the difference in pi-stack orientations, head-to-tail vs head-to-head, between various packing systems is rationalized by individual interchain bond orbital interactions involved with heteroatoms. The packing systems with higher row elements tend to have narrower band gaps. The band gaps are closely related to the chain torsions driven by interchain interactions. The noticeable chain distortions in the packing systems of PCp, PSi, and PPh lead to the significant increase of band gaps in comparison with those appraised from periodic boundary conditions (PBC) calculations on their planar isolated chains.

Highly functionalized dimeric tetraethynylethenes and expanded radialenes: strong evidence for macrocyclic cross-conjugation

A selection of dimeric tetraethynylethenes (TEEs) and perethynylated expanded radialenes, containing different donor/acceptor substitution patterns, have been prepared and fully characterized. The first X-ray crystal structure of an expanded [6]radialene, with twelve peripheral 3,5-di(tert-butyl)phenyl substituents, is presented. This macrocycle, the all-carbon core of which is isomeric with fullerene C60, adopts a non-planar, "chair-like" conformation. Also a TEE dimer, carrying N,N-dimethylaniline donor substituents, has been subjected to an X-ray crystallographic analysis. The electronic properties were studied by UV/Vis spectroscopy and electrochemistry, providing fundamental insight into mechanisms of pi-electron delocalization in the acyclic and macrocyclic chromophores. Donor or donor-acceptor-substituted dimeric TEE derivatives show very strong absorptions extending over the entire UV/Vis region; their longest wavelength absorption bands have high charge-transfer character. Macrocyclic cross-conjugation in the expanded radialenes becomes increasingly efficient with increasing donor-acceptor polarization. A dual, strongly solvent-polarity-dependent fluorescence was observed for a tetrakis(N,N-dimethylaniline)-substituted dimeric TEE; this interesting emission behavior is explained by the twisted intramolecular charge-transfer (TICT) state model. Donor-substituted expanded radialenes display huge resonance-enhanced third-order nonlinear optical coefficients.

Pt-tetraethynylethene molecular scaffolding: synthesis and characterization of a novel class of organometallic molecular rods

The series of monodisperse Pt-bridged TEE oligomers 3a-f was prepared by oxidative Glaser-Hay oligomerization of monomer 7 under end-capping conditions. These novel molecular rods extend in length from 3.3 nm (monomeric 3a) to 12.1 nm (hexameric 3 f). Their isolation was achieved by high performance gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and their purification was best monitored by analytical GPC in combination with matrix-assisted laser-desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The mass spectra of each oligomer revealed the molecular ion or its sodium complex as parent ion together with a clean, highly characteristic fragmentation pattern. Delayed addition of the end-capping reagent PhC(triple bond)CH to the oligomerization mixture afforded polymer 10 with an average of approximately 32 repeat units and a remarkably narrow molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn=1.06), which is indicative of a living polymerization process. UV/Vis spectral data as well as measurements of the second hyperpolarizability gamma by third harmonic generation (THG) revealed a nearly complete lack of pi-electron delocalization along the oligomeric backbone. The Pt atoms act as true insulating centers, and the Pt-C(sp) bonds hardly possess any pi character. The synthesis of the molecular rods 3a-f provides another demonstration of the power of oxidative acetylenic homocouplings for the preparation of unusual nanoarchitecture.