Collective Mid-Infrared Vibrations in Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is typically assumed to occur at individual molecules neglecting intermolecular vibrational coupling. Here, we show instead how collective vibrations from infrared (IR) coupled dipoles are seen in SERS from molecular monolayers. Mixing IR-active molecules with IR-inactive spacer molecules controls the intermolecular separation.

Highly Luminescent Encapsulated Narrow Bandgap Polymers Based on Diketopyrrolopyrrole.

We present the synthesis and characterization of a series of encapsulated diketopyrrolopyrrole red-emitting conjugated polymers. The novel materials display extremely high fluorescence quantum yields in both solution (>70%) and thin film (>20%). Both the absorption and emission spectra show clearer, more defined features compared to their naked counterparts demonstrating the suppression of inter and intramolecular aggregation.

Functionalized surface-confined pores: guest binding directed by lateral noncovalent interactions at the solid-liquid interface.

We present here the construction of self-assembled two-dimensional (2D) molecular networks that contain pores equipped with functional groups that promote guest-specific binding at the liquid/solid interface. For this purpose, a dehydrobenzo[12]annulene (DBA) derivative, DBA-F, having perfluoroalkyl groups at the end of the three alternating alkoxy chains connected by para-phenylene linkers was synthesized. For comparison DBA-H, having the same carbon backbone without fluorine substituents, was also prepared.