Synthesis, enantiomeric separation and (chir)optical properties of [7]helicene derivatives for OLED applications. A comprehensive experimental and computational investigation

Abstract

A two–step photochemical process was employed to synthesize new racemic [7]helicenes with appropriate functional groups, resulting in an overall yield of 61 % to 74 %. These helical species showed good solubility in common solvents and confirmed structurally through various spectroscopic methods. In solution, they exhibited strong absorption (λabs = 250–500 nm) and blue light emission with a fluorescence quantum yield (Φ) ranging from 7 % to 26 %. Experimental analysis of their HOMO and LUMO energy levels highlighted an irreversible electrochemical behavior and a band gap (Eg–el) of 2.60 eV to 2.64 eV. The helicenes were successfully separated by chiral HPLC, yielding P and M–enantiomers in high optical purity (>98.5 % up to >99.5 % ee) that demonstrated substantial optical rotations (e.g., +3700–5000 for the P–enantiomer at λ = 589 nm) and notable electronic circular dichroism (ECD) signals. Density functional theory (DFT) was undertaken to establish connections between diverse structure-properties relationships and precisely replicate the experimental findings. Ultimately, these helical species, with notable performance in emission, electrochemical behavior, and thermal stability, can effectively serve as blue-emitting chiral dopants in OLED devices and as hole-transport units.