Solid State Conformation and Crystal Packing of Methyl-Substituted Quaterthiophenes

Advances in the Chemistry of 2,4,6-Tri(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine

Heterocyclic systems are now considered to be an integral part of material chemistry. Thiophene, selenophene, furan, pyrrole, carbazole, triazine and others are some such examples worth mentioning. 2,4,6-Tri(thiophen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine is a C3h -symmetric system with thiophene as the donor unit and s-triazine as the acceptor unit. This review gives an insight into the advances made in the thienyl-triazine chemistry over the past two to three decades. The synthetic pathways for arriving at this system and all its important derivatives are provided. The major focus is on the materials synthesized using the thienyl-triazine system, including star molecules, linear and hyperbranched polymers, porous materials and their diverse applications. This review will play a catalytic role for new dimensions to be explored in thienyl-triazine chemistry.

Correlation of solid-state order to optoelectronic behavior in heterocyclic oligomers

Here we address a longstanding challenge in the field of optoelectronic materials by evaluating the molecular and solid-state arrangements of heterocyclic oligomers and correlating their crystal structures to their optical properties.

Design of single-porphyrin donors toward high open-circuit voltage for organic solar cells via an energy level gradient-distribution screening strategy of fragments: a theoretical study

Open-circuit voltage (V_OC) is a key factor for improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs). At present, increasing attention has been devoted towards modifying π bridges in single-porphyrin small molecule donors with an A-π-D-π-A configuration to reduce the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels and improve the V_OC of devices. However, how to screen the π bridges is a key issue. In this work, nine π bridges were screened by the HOMO level gradient-distribution strategy of fragments (electron-donating donor (D), π bridges, and electron-withdrawing acceptor (A)), where fragments meeting the requirements were combined into five novel small molecule donors. Meanwhile, in order to test whether the strategy is beneficial to increasing V_OC, [6,6]-phenyl C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM) was selected as the acceptor material. The energy levels of all molecules were compared and the photoelectric properties (i.e., energy gap, energy driving force, reorganization energy, intermolecular charge transfer rate, charge recombination rate, and V_OC) of the five small molecules were studied. The results showed that the HOMO levels of porphyrin donors could be significantly lowered via this strategy, and V_OC was raised without losing the short-circuit current (J_SC) and fill factor (FF) of the devices. Meanwhile, the designed five small molecules could be used as donor candidates to improve the performance of OSCs.

Thiophene-Based Organic Semiconductors

Thiophene-based π-conjugated organic small molecules and polymers are the research subject of significant current interest owing to their potential use as organic semiconductors in material chemistry. Despite simple and similar molecular structures, the hitherto reported properties of thiophene-based organic semiconductors are rather diverse. Design of high performance organic semiconducting materials requires a thorough understanding of inter- and intra-molecular interactions, solid-state packing, and the influence of both factors on the charge carrier transport. In this chapter, thiophene-based organic semiconductors, which are classified in terms of their chemical structures and their structure-property relationships, are addressed for the potential applications as organic photovoltaics (OPVs), organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Supramolecular oligothiophene microfibers spontaneously assembled on surfaces or coassembled with proteins inside live cells

During the last few decades, multifunctional nano- and microfibers made of semiconducting π-conjugated oligomers and polymers have generated much interest because of a broad range of applications extending from sensing to bioelectronic devices and (opto)electronics. The simplest technique for the fabrication of these anisotropic supramolecular structures is to let the molecules do the work by spontaneous organization driven by the information encoded in their molecular structure. Oligothiophenes-semiconducting and fluorescent compounds that have been extensively investigated for applications in thin-film field-effect transistors and solar cells and to a lesser extent as dyes for fluorescent labeling of proteins, DNA, and live cells-are particularly suited as building blocks for supramolecular architectures because of the peculiar properties of the thiophene ring. Because of the great polarizability of sulfur outer-shell electrons and the consequent facile geometric deformability and adaptability of the ring to the environment, thiophene can generate multiple nonbonding interactions to promote non-covalent connections between blocks. Furthermore, sulfur can be hypervalent, i.e., it can accommodate more than the eight electrons normally associated with s and p shells. Hypervalent oligothiophene-S,S-dioxides whose oxygen atoms can be involved in hydrogen bonding have been synthesized. These compounds are amphiphilic, and some of them are able to spontaneously cross the membrane of live cells. Hypervalent nonbonding interactions of divalent sulfur, defined as weak coordination to a proximate nitrogen or oxygen, have also been invoked in the solid-state packing of many organic molecules and in the architecture of proteins. In this Account, we describe two different types of thiophene-based building blocks that can induce the spontaneous formation of nanostructured microfibers in very different environments. The first, based on the synthesis of "sulfur-overrich" hexamers and octamers, leads to surface-independent self-assembly of microfibers-helical or rodlike depending on the groups attached to the same identical inner core-that are crystalline, fluorescent, and conductive and display chirality despite the lack of chiral carbon atoms on the building blocks. Supramolecular polymorphic microfibers are also formed, and they are characterized by very different functional properties. The second, based on a rigid oligothiophene-S,S-dioxide, leads to coassembled protein-oligothiophene microfibers that are physiologically formed inside live cells. The oligothiophene-S,S-dioxide can indeed spontaneously cross the membrane of live cells and be directed toward the perinuclear region, where it is recognized and incorporated by specific peptides during the formation of fibrillar proteins without being harmful to the cells. Coassembled oligothiophene-protein microfibers are progressively formed through a cell-mediated physiological process. Thanks to the oligothiophene blocks, the microfibers possess fluorescence and charge-conduction properties. By means of fluorescence imaging, we demonstrated that various types of live cells seeded on these microfibers were able to internalize and degrade them, experiencing in turn different effects on their morphology and viability, suggesting a possible use of the microfibers as multiscale biomaterials to direct cell behavior. On the whole, our results show the great versatility of oligothiophene building blocks and allow us to foresee that their capabilities of spontaneous assembly in the most different environments could be exploited in much more exciting research fields than those explored to date.

Adjusting the Local Arrangement of π-Stacked Oligothiophenes through Hydrogen Bonds: A Viable Route to Promote Charge Transfer

We show that substituting quaterthiophene cores with strong H-bond aggregators, such as urea groups, provides an efficient way to adjust the mutual in-plane displacements of the semiconducting units and promote charge transfer. Our 2-D structure-property mapping reveals that the insertion of substituents induces up to 2.0 Å longitudinal and transversal displacements between the π-conjugated moieties. Some of these relative displacements lead to improved cofacial orbital overlaps that are otherwise inaccessible due to Pauli repulsion. Our results also emphasize that the fine-tuning of in-plane displacements is more effective than achieving "tighter" packing to promote charge-transfer properties.

Self-organization, optical, and electrical properties of alpha-quinquethiophene-dinucleotide conjugates

The synthesis and properties of (5')TA(3')-t5 (8a) and (5')CG(3')-t5 (8b) conjugates, in which the self-complementary dinucleotides TA and CG are covalently bound to the central ring of alpha-quinquethiophene (t5), are described. According to molecular mechanics calculations, the preferred conformation of both 8a and 8b is that with the dinucleotide folded over the planar t5 backbone, with the nucleobases facing t5 at stacking distance. The calculations show that the aggregation process of 8a and 8b is driven by a mix of nucleobase-thiophene interactions, hydrogen bonding between nucleobases (non Watson-Crick (W&C) in TA, and W&C in CG), van der Waals, and electrostatic interactions. While 8b is scarcely soluble in any solvents, 8a is soluble in water, indicating that the aggregates of the former are more stable than those of the latter. Microfluidic-induced self-assembly studies of 8a showed the formation of lamellar, spherulitic, and dendritic supramolecular structures, depending on the concentration and solvent evaporation time. The self-assembled structures displayed micrometer dimensions in the xy plane of the substrate and nanometer dimensions in the z direction. Spatially resolved confocal microscopy and spectroscopy showed that the aggregates were characterized by intense fluorescence emission. Cast films of 8a from water solutions showed chirality transfer from the dinucleotide to t5. The hole mobility of the cast films of 8a was estimated using a two-electrode device under high vacuum and found to be up to two orders of magnitude greater than those previously measured for dinucleotide-quarterthiophene conjugates under the same experimental conditions.

Synthesis, structures, and properties of disubstituted heteroacenes on one side containing both pyrrole and thiophene rings

A new series of ladder-type heteroacenes containing both pyrrole and furan rings, 5,6-disubstituted diindolo[3,2-b:4,5-b']thiophenes (DITs), were effectively synthesized from N-functionalized 3,3'-dibromo-2,2'-biindoles undergoing intramolecular cyclization with bis(phenylsulfonyl) sulfide and organolithium. Single-crystal X-ray results demonstrate that 5,6-dipropyldiindolo[3,2-b:4,5-b']thiophene (4b) forms a herringbone-type of packing motif and 5,6-di(p-tolyl)diindolo[3,2-b:4,5-b']thiophene (4d) forms a parallel packing motif. Both of them have S-S contacts, enhancing the electronic transport between molecules. Their photophysical properties suggest that the skeleton of diindolo[3,2- b:4,5-b']thiophene is more favorable to aggregate in solid than that of indolo[3,2-b]carbazole. The large band gaps and low-lying HOMO energy levels could result in much better stability.

A Highly π-Stacked Organic Semiconductor for Field-Effect Transistors Based on Linearly Condensed Pentathienoacene

We present the synthesis and characterization of a fused-ring compound, dithieno[2,3-d:2',3'-d']thieno[3,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (pentathienoacene, PTA). In contrast to pentacene, PTA has a larger band gap than most semiconductors used in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and therefore is expected to be stable in air. The large pi-conjugated and planar molecular structure of PTA would also form higher molecular orders that are conductive for carrier transport. X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy experiments on its films show that the molecules stack in layers with their long axis upright from the surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests that there are no chemical bonds at the PTA/Au interface. OFETs based on the PTA have been constructed, and their performances as p-type semiconductors are also presented. A high mobility of 0.045 cm(2)/V s and an on/off ratio of 10(3) for a PTA OFET have been achieved, demonstrating the potential of PTA for application in future organic electronics.

Solution-Phase Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Unsubstituted and Modified α-Quinque- and Sexithiophenes

The facile synthesis of poorly soluble unsubstituted and modified alpha-quinque- and sexithiophenes under microwave irradiation in the liquid phase is described. The use of microwave irradiation allowed these compounds to be prepared in a few minutes and at high yields by means of the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction. Unsubstituted sexithiophene was obtained in 10 min via the one-pot borylation/Suzuki reaction, purified according to a very simple procedure, and isolated in 84% yield. The efficient synthesis of two new methylated quinque- and sexithiophenes displaying liquid crystalline properties is reported. A new microwave-assisted methodology for the conversion of aldehyde-terminated quinque- and sexithiophenes into the corresponding cyano derivatives is also described. The use of microwaves was extended to the Sonogashira coupling reaction and found to be very effective in the preparation of a quinquethiophene containing acetylenic spacers. The electronic and optical characterization of this compound is reported and discussed in relation to that of unsubstituted quinquethiophene.

Solid-State Supramolecular Organization, Established Directly from Powder Diffraction Data, and Photoluminescence Efficiency of Rigid-Core Oligothiophene-S,S-dioxides

The "rigid-core" material 3,5-dimethyl-2,3'-bis(3-methylthiophene)-dithieno[3,2-b:',3'-d]thiophene-4,4-dioxide (DTTOMe4) has the highest photoluminescence ever reported for thiophene-based molecules in the solid state. We report the structure of this material, determined directly from powder X-ray diffraction data using the Genetic Algorithm method for structure solution, followed by Rietveld refinement, and the structural properties are discussed in relation to the structures of the corresponding subsystems DTTO and DTTOMe. While the crystal structures of the latter compounds contain cofacial dimers, the crystal structure of DTTOMe4 comprises layers of molecules aligned in an antiparallel fashion. Intermediate neglect of differential overlap with single configuration interaction (INDO/SCI) calculations on the intermolecular interactions in the three crystal structures show that the different solid-state photoluminescence efficiencies of DTTOMe4, DTTOMe, and DTTO cannot be correlated with the different types of dipole-dipole alignment in the solid state. Instead, photoluminescence efficiencies correlate well with the rate of formation of nonradiatively decaying charge-transfer pairs upon photoexcitation. Because of larger intermolecular distances in DTTOMe4, the photoluminescence is less effectively quenched by charge-transfer processes than in DTTOMe and DTTO.

Multiscale self-organization of the organic semiconductor alpha-quinquethiophene

We show that thin films grown by vacuum sublimation, or formed by melted powders, of semiconductor alpha-quinquethiophene (T5) exhibit a hierarchical self-affinity organization that spans scales from tens of nanometers to hundreds of micrometers. T5 organization was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and optical microscopy. XRD showed that vacuum-evaporated T5 films were characterized by a preferred orientation of the h00 planes parallel to the glass substrate. Melting of the films followed by rapid quenching to room temperature led to the formation of micrometer-sized, single-crystal-like structures, characterized by uniaxially aligned stripes. XRD proved that the melting-quenching process enhanced molecular ordering and increased the size of domains with the molecule's long axes tilted by about 65 degrees with respect to the substrate plane and piled up side-by-side along parallel columns. AFM measurements on the melt-quenched structures showed that a hierarchical architecture was built by reiteration across multiple length scales of the same recurring motif. Because of the tendency of T5 to form highly crystalline vacuum-evaporated thin films, a field-effect hole mobility comparable to state-of-the-art FET mobility of alpha-sexithiophene films was reached, without any attempt to optimize deposition conditions.