Novel Spiro-Core Dopant-Free Hole Transporting Material for Planar Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

Hole-transporting materials (HTMs) have demonstrated their crucial role in promoting charge extraction, interface recombination, and device stability in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we present the synthesis of a novel dopant-free spiro-type fluorine core-based HTM with four ethoxytriisopropylsilane groups () for inverted planar perovskite solar cells (iPSCs). The thickness of the influences the performance of iPSCs.

Twisted One-Dimensional Charge Transfer and Related Y-Shaped Chromophores with a 4-Pyranylidene Donor: Synthesis and Optical Properties.

Three series of push-pull derivatives bearing 4-pyranylidene as electron donor group and a variety of acceptors were designed. On one hand, one-dimensional chromophores with a thiophene ring (series ) or 5-dimethylaminothiophene moiety (series ) as an auxiliary donor, non-coplanar with the π-conjugated system, were synthesized. On the other hand, related two-dimensional (2D) Y-shaped chromophores (series ) were also prepared to compare how the diverse architectures affect the electrochemical, linear, and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties.

(Super)gelators derived from push-pull chromophores: synthesis, gelling properties and second harmonic generation.

The present work takes advantage of the self-assembly process occurring along organogelation, to organize Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) active chromophores. To do so, three push-pull chromophores endowed with a dodecyl urea chain were synthesized and characterized. Their organogelating properties were studied in a wide range of solvents.

Promoting Spontaneous Second Harmonic Generation through Organogelation.

An organogelator based on the Disperse Red nonlinear optical chromophore was synthesized according to a simple and efficient three-step procedure. The supramolecular gel organization leads to xerogels which display a spontaneous second harmonic generation (SHG) response without any need for preprocessing, and this SHG activity appears to be stable over several months. These findings, based on an intrinsic structural approach, are supported by favorable intermolecular supramolecular interactions, which promote a locally non-centrosymmetric NLO-active organization.

D-π-A Compounds with Tunable Intramolecular Charge Transfer Achieved by Incorporation of Butenolide Nitriles as Acceptor Moieties.

Chromophores where a polyenic spacer separates a 4H-pyranylidene or benzothiazolylidene donor and three different butenolide nitriles have been synthesized and characterized. The role of 2(5H)-furanones as acceptor units on the polarization and the second-order nonlinear (NLO) properties has been studied. Thus, their incorporation gives rise to moderately polarized structures with NLO responses that compare favorably to those of related compounds featuring more efficient electron-withdrawing moieties.

Dithienopyrrole as a rigid alternative to the bithiophene π relay in chromophores with second-order nonlinear optical properties.

4H-Pyranylidene-containing push-pull chromophores built around a bithiophene (BT) π relay or a rigidified thiophene-based unit, namely cyclopenta[1,2-b:3,4-b']dithiophene (CPDT) or dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole (DTP), have been synthesized and characterized. The effect of these different relays on the polarization and the second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties has been studied. For the sake of comparison, the corresponding reported dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]thiophene (DTT) derivatives have also been included in the discussion.

Push-pull systems bearing a quinoid/aromatic thieno[3,2-b]thiophene moiety: synthesis, ground state polarization and second-order nonlinear properties.

Chromophores bearing a 2-dicyanomethylenethieno[3,2-b]thiophene moiety in their quinoidal form have been synthesized, exploring for the first time the reactivity of this system towards aldehydes. Their ground state polarization and linear and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties have been determined by a combined experimental and theoretical study, and compared to those of analogous compounds featuring an aromatic thienothiophene unit. Due to the gaining of aromaticity, quinoid systems have been found to display more polarized electronic ground states and higher NLO responses with respect to their aromatic counterparts.

Cycloaddition reactions of polyenic donor-π-acceptor systems with an electron-rich alkyne: access to new chromophores with second-order optical nonlinearities.

The formal [2 + 2] cycloaddition-cycloreversion (CA-CR) between 4-ethynyl-N,N-dimethylaniline and polyenic Donor-π-Acceptor (D-π-A) systems takes place to yield compounds bearing two donors and one acceptor. Structural, linear and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of the new molecules reveal the stronger polarization of these systems when compared to analogous merocyanines lacking the dimethylaminophenyl (DMA) ring.

Multichromophoric calix[4]arenes: effect of interchromophore distances on linear and nonlinear optical properties.

Multichromophoric calix[4]arenes with two or four disperse red one (DR1) moieties linked to the lower rim have been synthesized. The second-order nonlinear optical activity was measured by using the electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation technique and there was a nearly linear increase of the μβ value with the number of chromophores in the molecule without affecting the charge-transfer absorption wavelength. The effect that the number of DR1 units plays on the hyperpolarizability, the dipole moment, and the absorption maxima has been also studied by using quantum chemical calculations.

Synthesis, characterization, and optical properties of 4H-pyran-4-ylidene donor-based chromophores: the relevance of the location of a thiophene ring in the spacer.

A series of new 4H-pyran-4-ylidene donor-based chromophores with a thiophene ring in the spacer has been synthesized. The linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of these compounds have been determined and compared with the results of computational calculations. The position of the thiophene ring proved essential to optimize the figure of merit μβ, with the best results obtained when the heterocyclic system was closer to the donor moiety.

Aromatic/proaromatic donors in 2-dicyanomethylenethiazole merocyanines: from neutral to strongly zwitterionic nonlinear optical chromophores.

Push-pull compounds, in which a proaromatic electron donor is conjugated to a 2-dicyanomethylenethiazole acceptor, have been prepared, and their properties compared to those of model compounds featuring an aromatic donor. A combined experimental (X-ray diffraction, (1) H NMR, IR, Raman, UV/Vis, nonlinear optical (NLO) measurements) and theoretical study reveals that structural and solvent effects determine the ground-state polarisation of these merocyanines: whereas 4H-pyran-4-ylidene- and 4-pyridylidene-containing compounds are zwitterionic and 1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene derivatives are close to the cyanine limit, anilino-derived merocyanines are essentially neutral. This very large range of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) gives rise to efficient second-order NLO chromophores with μβ values ranging from strongly negative to strongly positive.

Linear and V-shaped nonlinear optical chromophores with multiple 4H-pyran-4-ylidene moieties.

A simple synthesis of dipolar one- and two-dimensional chromophores bearing two or three 4H-pyran-4-ylidene moieties is reported. Whereas the pyranylidene fragments acting as donors are proaromatic, the spacer one is not. In the linear derivatives, chain elongation gives rise to a sharp increase in the second order nonlinear optical responses, but some V-shaped derivatives display first hyperpolarizabilities (beta) lower than those of their linear analogues.

4H-Pyran-4-ylidenes: strong proaromatic donors for organic nonlinear optical chromophores.

Merocyanines where a polyenic spacer separates a 4H-pyran-4-ylidene moiety and different strong organic acceptors have been synthesized. According to NMR studies and X-ray diffraction data, these compounds have weakly alternated structures and remarkably zwitterionic ground states, with a partial aromatic character that is compared to those of other pyran derivatives. The proaromaticity of the 4H-pyran-4-ylidene donor lies behind the cyanine-like behavior and low (positive or negative) second-order optical nonlinearities of the shorter derivatives.

Decreased optical nonlinearities upon CF3 substitution on tricyanofuran acceptors.

Replacement of the tricyanofuran (TCF) acceptor by its stronger analogue CF 3-TCF results in decreased second-order optical nonlinearities in merocyanines bearing a proaromatic 1,3-dithiole donor. The TCF-containing derivatives display exceptionally high mu beta values up to 31,000 x 10(-48) esu, unprecedented for 1,3-dithiole-based NLO-phores.

Iminium salts of omega-dithiafulvenylpolyenals: an easy entry to the corresponding aldehydes and doubly proaromatic nonlinear optic-phores.

A short, high-yielding route to omega-dithiafulvenylpolyenals (1) via the corresponding iminium salts (2) and starting from trimethyl-1,3-dithiolium tetrafluoroborate is reported. The Knoevenagel reactions of either 1 or 2 with isoxazolone-containing acceptors afford merocyanines 7 and 9, in a process that is often accompanied by a vinylene-shortening side reaction. Experimental and theoretical studies reveal that compounds 7 and 9, featuring two proaromatic end groups, are strongly polarized and show good second-order nonlinear optical responses.

Synthesis, structure, and optical properties of 1,4-dithiafulvene-based nonlinear optic-phores.

Polyenic nonlinear optic (NLO)-phores with a proaromatic 1,4-dithiafulvene electron donor and the little explored 1,1,3-tricyano-2-phenylpropene acceptor have been synthesized. Their configurational and conformational features, ground state polarization, and linear and nonlinear optical properties have been determined experimentally and theoretically, and the results are compared to those of tetrathiafulvalene-related derivatives. The newly prepared compounds show close to optimal bond length alternation values for maximizing the first molecular hyperpolarizability, and one of them displays the highest mu beta0 value ever reported for a dithiafulvene-based NLO-phore.

Vibrational fingerprint of the structural tuning in push-pull organic chromophores with quinoid or proaromatic spacers.

The Raman spectra of a series of push-pull molecules containing probenzenoid or quinoid spacers which are substituted with 1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene as donor and dicyano-methylene or barbituric acid as acceptors have been analyzed. The experimental spectra have been assigned and interpreted according to density functional theory calculations. Correlations between the Raman spectra of the isolated spacers and of the substituted molecules have been done.

Tuning first molecular hyperpolarizabilities through the use of proaromatic spacers.

In this paper, we describe the second-order nonlinear optical properties of a series of 1,3-dithiole-based electron donor-acceptor systems incorporating proaromatic donor and spacer groups. Modification of the proaromaticity of the quinoid spacer gives rise to NLO-phores with mubeta values ranging from -2000 x 10(-)(48) esu to +3000 x 10(-)(48) esu. Quite surprisingly, compounds with a p-benzoquinoid spacer and a strong acceptor group show negative mubeta values, usually associated to zwitterionic ground states, and yet they are largely quinoid, as evidenced by crystallographic data and theoretical calculations.

Novel NLO-phores with proaromatic donor and acceptor groups.

[reaction: see text] Novel D-pi-A NLO-phores based on the 1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene donor and the thiobarbituric acceptor moieties have been prepared. Modification of the length and rigidity of the pi-spacer allows the first systematic study of the second-order nonlinear optical properties of doubly proaromatic merocyanines. The pi-electron donor efficiency of the 1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene group is superior to that of the tetrathiafulvalenyl group.