Theoretical study on dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]phosphole derivatives: high-efficiency blue-emitting materials with ambipolar semiconductor behavior

Synthesis and Properties of Dibenzo-Fused Naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b']disilole and Naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b']diphosphole

Silole- and phosphole-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds have attracted significant attention in the field of organic functional materials. The structure of the aromatic units has great impact on the photophysical properties of the resulting silole- and phosphole-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds. Here, dibenzo-fused naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b']disilole (NDS) and naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b']diphosphole (NDP), where a naphthalene unit is arranged between two silole and phosphole units, respectively, were designed and synthesized. The solid-state structures of them were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The photophysical properties were evaluated by UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies and compared with those of their related compounds, such as dibenzo-fused silolo[3,2-b]silole and benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']disilole, ever reported. The longest wavelength absorption band of a series of silole-fused compounds was found to be red-shifted in the order benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']disilole < NDS < silolo[3,2-b]silole derivatives. For a series of phosphole-fused compounds, π-extension from phospholo[3,2-b]phosphole to NDP derivatives induces the lower absorption coefficient of the longest wavelength absorption band and the red-shift of the second longest wavelength absorption band. Both NDS and NDP exhibit much lower fluorescence quantum yields than their related compounds.

The Synthesis and Properties of Ladder-Type π-Conjugated Compounds with Pyrrole and Phosphole Rings

The phosphole ring is known as a useful building block for constructing π-conjugated organic materials. Here, we report ladder-type benzophospholo[3,2-b]indole (BPI) derivatives where the phosphole and the pyrrole rings are directly fused. Compounds 8a-8d with different aryl groups on the phosphorous center were successfully synthesized, and the solid-state structure of 8a was confirmed using X-ray crystallographic analysis. The BPIs exhibit relatively high fluorescence quantum yield (Φ 0.50-0.72) and demonstrate a larger Stokes shift compared with a series of benzophospholo[3,2-b]benzoheteroles. The benzophospholo[3,2-b]carbazole derivative 9, which possesses a benzene ring between the phosphole and the pyrrole rings of the BPI, was also synthesized, and its solid-state structure was confirmed using X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compound 9 was found to show a smaller Stokes shift compared with the BPI.

Incorporation of a Boron-Nitrogen Covalent Bond Improves the Charge-Transport and Charge-Transfer Characteristics of Organoboron Small-Molecule Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells

An organoboron small-molecular acceptor (OSMA) M_B←N containing a boron-nitrogen coordination bond (B←N) exhibits good light absorption in organic solar cells (OSCs). In this work, based on M_B←N, OSMA M_B-N, with the incorporation of a boron-nitrogen covalent bond (B-N), was designed. We have systematically investigated the charge-transport properties and interfacial charge-transfer characteristics of M_B-N, along with M_B←N, using the density functional theory (DFT) and the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). Theoretical calculations show that M_B-N can simultaneously boost the open-circuit voltage (from 0.78 V to 0.85 V) and the short-circuit current due to its high-lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and the reduced energy gap. Moreover, its large dipole shortens stacking and greatly enhances electron mobility by up to 5.91 × 10^-3 cm²·V^-1·s^-1. Notably, the excellent interfacial properties of PTB7-Th/M_B-N, owing to more charge transfer states generated through the direct excitation process and the intermolecular electric field mechanism, are expected to improve OSCs performance. Together with the excellent properties of M_B-N, we demonstrate a new OSMA and develop a new organoboron building block with B-N units. The computations also shed light on the structure-property relationships and provide in-depth theoretical guidance for the application of organoboron photovoltaic materials.

N-annelated perylenes as effective green emitters for OLEDs

New carbazole-substituted N-annelated perylenes with different linking topologies of the chromophores were synthesized and their physical properties were studied with various experimental techniques.

Insights on the design and electron-acceptor properties of conjugated organophosphorus materials

The development of conjugated organic materials has become a rapidly evolving field of research, particularly with a view toward practical applications in so-called organic electronics that encompass a variety of device types, such as OLEDs, OPVs, and OFETs. Almost all of these devices minimally require the presence of electron-donor and -acceptor components that act as p- and n-type semiconductors, respectively. Research over the past two decades has shown that while there is an abundant resource of organic p-type materials, suitable n-type species are few and far between. To overcome this severe bottleneck for the further development of organic electronics, researchers have identified organo-main-group avenues as valuable alternatives toward organic electron-acceptor materials that may ultimately be used as n-type components in practical devices. One particular element of interest in this context is phosphorus, which at first glance may not necessarily suggest such properties. In this Account, I provide detailed insights on the origin of the electron-acceptor properties of organophosphorus-based conjugated materials and include an overview of important molecular species that have been developed by my group and others. To this end, I explain that the electron-acceptor properties of conjugated organophosphorus materials originate from an interaction known as negative hyperconjugation. While this particular interaction creates a simply inductively withdrawing phosphoryl substituent for π-conjugated scaffolds, incorporation of a phosphorus atom as an integral part of a cyclic substructure within a π-conjugated system provides a much more complex, versatile, and consequently highly valuable tool for the tuning of the electron-acceptor properties of the materials. Notably, the degree of negative hyperconjugation can effectively be tailored in various ways via simple substitution at the phosphorus center. This is now well established for phosphole-based molecular materials, in which the electron-acceptor properties are also mirrored by the degree of antiaromaticity of the system. Particularly, fused and π-extended phosphole materials show appreciable electron-acceptor properties, evident in low reduction potentials and corresponding LUMO levels. But these features do not always translate into powerful n-type materials. My group and others have thus recently been focusing on molecular organophosphorus scaffolds that also involve incorporation of imino or carbonyl groups, next to the incorporation of low coordinate phosphorus centers, to achieve superior electron-acceptor features. This state-of-the-art research has confirmed the great potential of the organophosphorus route toward powerful electron-acceptor materials, but further work is required to also establish these species as functional n-type materials.