Synthesis of Chiral Donor-Acceptor Dyes to Study Electron Transfer Across a Chiral Bridge.

Chiral organic dyes comprising a donor , spacer , primary acceptor , chiral bridge , and final acceptor/radical have been synthesized and fully characterized. The goal behind this synthetic pursuit is to study whether the chiral dyes can impart a chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) spin-filtering effect during an intramolecular charge-transfer (CT) process. Additionally, appending a stable free radical (SFR) allows the study of how an unpaired spin influences the CT state.

Metalated Porphyrin Stable Free Radicals: Exploration of Electron Spin Communication and Dynamics.

Switchable coupling between two qubits is important for quantum information science (QIS). As a proof of concept, a series of mesosubstituted porphyrins have been synthesized with a (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl stable free radical (SFR) appended and metalated with Cu(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) in order to explore the interaction between the SFR doublet state and metalloporphyrin. The spin state of the porphyrin varies upon metal insertion, where Zn(II) is a diamagnetic metal, Cu(II) is paramagnetic, and Ni(II) can be switched from a diamagnetic square-planar structure to a paramagnetic octahedral state by complexation with a solvent (i.

Electronically Tuned Asymmetric meso-Substituted Porphyrins for p-Type Solar Cells.

A series of electronically tuned asymmetric porphyrins have been synthesized for use in p-type solar cells. The porphyrin derivatives were strategically designed with electron-withdrawing capability and an electronic dipole gradient to aid in electron-harvesting capacity from a nickel oxide cathode. Specifically, the porphyrins were substituted at the meso position with different arrangements of the electron-withdrawing pentafluorobenzene moiety, electron-donating/coordinating 4-pyridyl ligand, and an electron withdrawing/synthetically modifiable 4-cyanophenyl unit.

Solution-based intramolecular singlet fission in cross-conjugated pentacene dimers.

We show unambiguous and compelling evidence by means of pump-probe experiments, which are complemented by calculations using ab initio multireference perturbation theory, for intramolecular singlet fission (SF) within two synthetically tailored pentacene dimers with cross-conjugation, namely XC1 and XC2. The two pentacene dimers differ in terms of electronic interactions as evidenced by perturbation of the ground state absorption spectra stemming from stronger through-bond contributions in XC1 as confirmed by theory. Multiwavelength analysis, on one hand, and global analysis, on the other hand, confirm that the rapid singlet excited state decay and triplet excited state growth relate to SF.

Singlet fission in pentacene dimers.

Singlet fission (SF) has the potential to supersede the traditional solar energy conversion scheme by means of boosting the photon-to-current conversion efficiencies beyond the 30% Shockley-Queisser limit. Here, we show unambiguous and compelling evidence for unprecedented intramolecular SF within regioisomeric pentacene dimers in room-temperature solutions, with observed triplet quantum yields reaching as high as 156 ± 5%. Whereas previous studies have shown that the collision of a photoexcited chromophore with a ground-state chromophore can give rise to SF, here we demonstrate that the proximity and sufficient coupling through bond or space in pentacene dimers is enough to induce intramolecular SF where two triplets are generated on one molecule.

Pentacene appended to a TEMPO stable free radical: the effect of magnetic exchange coupling on photoexcited pentacene.

Understanding the fundamental spin dynamics of photoexcited pentacene derivatives is important in order to maximize their potential for optoelectronic applications. Herein, we report on the synthesis of two pentacene derivatives that are functionalized with the [(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxy] (TEMPO) stable free radical. The presence of TEMPO does not quench the pentacene singlet excited state, but does quench the photoexcited triplet excited state as a function of TEMPO-to-pentacene distance.

Optically pure, monodisperse cis-oligodiacetylenes: aggregation- induced chirality enhancement.

Conformational changes in the conjugated backbone of poly- and oligodiacetylenes (PDAs and ODAs) play an important role in determining the electronic properties of these compounds. At the same time, conformational changes can also result in a folded structure that shows helical chirality. Using d-camphor as a chiral building block, we have designed a high-yielding, iterative synthesis of monodisperse, optically pure cis-oligodiacetylenes (ODAs).

Mechanistic aspects of alkyne migration in alkylidene carbenoid rearrangements.

The mechanism of the Fritsch-Buttenberg-Wiechell rearrangement of (13)C labeled precursors has been examined to determine the propensity of the alkynyl (R-CC-) group to migrate in an alkylidene carbenoid species. Reaction of dibromoolefins with n-BuLi and ketones with Me(3)SiC(Li)N(2) both demonstrate that the alkynyl moiety readily undergoes 1,2-migration from carbenoid intermediates.

Controlling electron transfer dynamics in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules by increasing unpaired spin density on the bridge.

A t-butylphenylnitroxide (BPNO*) stable radical is attached to an electron donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) system having well-defined distances between the components: MeOAn-6ANI-Ph(BPNO*)-NI, where MeOAn=p-methoxyaniline, 6ANI=4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide, Ph=phenyl, and NI=naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide). MeOAn-6ANI, BPNO*, and NI are attached to the 1, 3, and 5 positions of the Ph bridge, respectively. Time-resolved optical and EPR spectroscopy show that BPNO* influences the spin dynamics of the photogenerated triradical states 2,4(MeOAn+*-6ANI-Ph(BPNO*)-NI-*), resulting in slower charge recombination within the triradical, as compared to the corresponding biradical lacking BPNO*.

Spin dynamics of photogenerated triradicals in fixed distance electron donor-chromophore-acceptor-TEMPO molecules.

The stable free radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl (TEMPO, T*) was covalently attached to the electron acceptor in a donor-chromophore-acceptor (D-C-A) system, MeOAn-6ANI-Phn-A-T*, having well-defined distances between each component, where MeOAn = p-methoxyaniline, 6ANI = 4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-l,8-dicarboximide, Ph = 2,5-dimethylphenyl (n = 0,1), and A = naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NI) or pyromellitimide (PI). Using both time-resolved optical and EPR spectroscopy, we show that T* influences the spin dynamics of the photogenerated triradical states 2,4(MeOAn+*-6ANI-Phn-A-*-T*), resulting in modulation of the charge recombination rate within the triradical compared with the corresponding biradical lacking T*. The observed spin-spin exchange interaction between the photogenerated radicals MeOAn+* and A-* is not altered by the presence of T*, which interacts most strongly with A-* and accelerates radical pair intersystem crossing.

Electron donor-bridge-acceptor molecules with bridging nitronyl nitroxide radicals: influence of a third spin on charge- and spin-transfer dynamics.

Appending a stable radical to the bridge molecule in a donor-bridge-acceptor system (D-B-A) is potentially an important way to control charge- and spin-transfer dynamics through D-B-A. We have attached a nitronyl nitroxide (NN*) stable radical to a D-B-A system having well-defined distances between the components: MeOAn-6ANI-Ph(NN*)-NI, where MeOAn = p-methoxyaniline, 6ANI = 4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide, Ph = phenyl, and NI = naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide). MeOAn-6ANI, NN*, and NI are attached to the 1, 3, and 5 positions of the Ph bridge.

Copper-promoted N-arylations of cyclic imides within six-membered rings: a facile route to arylene-based organic materials.

[reaction: see text] Cyclic imides within six-membered rings are shown to undergo efficient N-arylation using various arylboronic esters mediated by copper(II) acetate in the presence of an amine base and oxygen atmosphere with gentle heating. Until now, the synthesis of N-arylated cyclic imides having six-membered rings was restricted largely to strongly heating anilines in the presence of anhydrides. This reaction is applicable to the synthesis of new organic materials based on arylene imide and bis(imide) dyes, such as perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide)s.

Modulation of radical ion pair lifetimes by the presence of a third spin in rodlike donor-acceptor triads.

It is well known that the molecular structure of an electron donor-acceptor system can be changed to optimize the electronic coupling between photogenerated radical ion pairs (PRPs), resulting in favorable charge separation (CS) and charge recombination (CR) rates. It would be far more convenient to avoid extensive synthetic modifications to the structure to achieve the same ends by perturbing the electronic properties of the PRP. We present here results on PRPs within rodlike donor-acceptor molecules having a covalently attached stable 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoxyl radical (T*).

Synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted 1,3-butadiynes and 1,3,5-hexatriynes via alkylidene carbenoid rearrangements.

Unsymmetrically substituted 1,3-butadiynes and 1,3,5-hexatriynes are synthesized in four steps from commercially available aldehydes or carboxylic acids. The key step in this process involves a Fritsch-Buttenberg-Wiechell rearrangement, in which an alkylidene carbenoid intermediate subsequently rearranges to the desired polyyne. This rearrangement proceeds under mild conditions, and it is tolerant of a range of functionalities.