Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital Energy Level Research Articles

Synthesis of D-A-Type Polymers Containing Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene Unit, Their Composites with Carbon, and Lithium Storage Performance as Anode Materials

Conjugated organic polymers have attracted extensive attention due to their light weight, mechanical flexibility, and structural diversity. However, poor electronic conductivity limits their application in the electrodes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this paper, two composites of D-A (donor-acceptor) polymer and activated carbon (AC)—PTPP@AC and PTPTD@AC—were designed and successfully prepared using thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (BTh) as the donor unit, benzo [1,2-b:6,5-b′] dithiophene-4,5-dione or 7a,11a-Dihydro-3,4-dithia-7,12-diaza[a,c]anthracene as the acceptor unit and AC as the substrate. PTPP@AC and PTPTD@AC were then studied as anode materials for LIBs. The successful preparation of the target products was demonstrated by FT-IR, Raman spectra, XRD, and XPS. Electrochemical properties, such as the specific capacity, cycling stability, and rate performance of the electrode materials, were tested by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD). The storage process of lithium ions was investigated by XPS and CV tests. Compared with PTPP@AC, PTPTD@AC had a higher reversible specific capacity (247.3 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles at 0.1 A g−1), a better rate performance (at 1 A g−1, specific capacity of 87.3 mAh g−1), and a higher long-term cycling performance (after 1000 cycles of 0.5 A g−1, the specific capacity remains at 146.6 mAh g−1). The better electrochemical performance of PTPTD compared to PTPP was due to the former’s significantly higher HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) energy level than that of PTPP, while the Eg of PTPTD was smaller than that of PTPP. The experimental results show that D-A conjugated polymers have great potential for applications as electrode materials for rechargeable batteries.

A potential sensor for assessing thorium (IV) based on Albuterol sulfate fluorescence enhancement: A density functional theory (DFT) study

• Introducing a new fluorescent sensor for assessing Th(IV) in environmental samples. • Fluorescence mechanism was discussed. • HOMO and LUMO energy levels has been calculated by DFT. This study introduces a potential fluorescence sensor for assessing thorium (Th(IV)) in aquatic environments. In the presence of Th(IV), Albuterol Sulfate ( ABS ) 4-[2-( tert -butylamino)-1-hydroxyethyl]-2-(hydroxymethyl)phenol; sulfuric acid exhibits significant fluorescence enhancement at 600 nm. The current ABS ligand sensor shows wide linear range from 6.0 × 10 −8 – 2.5 × 10 −7 mol/L and pH range of 4–6. Interestingly, when all evaluated interference ions coexisted, the change in fluorescence emission intensity of ABS -Th complex was roughly 2.3 %. The binding mode is studied and indicating a 2:1 complex formation between ABS ligand and Th (IV). Density functional theory (DFT) has been utilized to examine the interaction characteristics between the present ABS ligand sensor and Th(IV) and to compute the geometric configuration of the ABS and ABS -Th through the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels. The interaction properties exhibit considerable effect on the HOMO and LUMO properties of the complexes, as well as a fluorescence enhancement that could be attributable to the heavy atom effect of Th (IV). The ABS sensor shows remarkable features and provides good performance compared to some of the optical sensors, making it a potential new fluorescence sensor for Th(IV) assessment.

Edge carboxylation-induced charge separation dynamics of graphene quantum dot/cellulose nanocomposites

Graphene quantum dot (GQD)@cellulose nanocomposites possess optoelectronic properties of interest for photovoltaic applications. However, the optoelectronic properties related to the shapes and edge types of GQDs have not been fully explored. In the present work, we investigate the effects of carboxylation on the energy alignment and charge separation dynamics at the interface of GQD@cellulose nanocomposites using density functional theory calculations. Our results show that the GQD@cellulose nanocomposites composed of hexagonal GQDs with armchair edges exhibit better photoelectric performance than those composed of other types of GQDs. Carboxylation stabilizes the energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the triangular GQDs with armchair edges but destabilizes the HOMO energy level of cellulose, resulting in hole transfer from the GQDs to cellulose upon photoexcitation. However, the calculated hole transfer rate is lower than the nonradiative recombination rate because excitonic effects dominate the dynamics of charge separation in GQD@cellulose nanocomposites.

Synergistic high efficiency and low energy loss of all-small-molecule organic solar cells based on benzotriazole-based π-bridge unit

Reducing energy loss (Vloss) is one of the most crucial challenges in organic photovoltaic cells. The Vloss, determined by the differences between the optical band gap (Eg) of the active layer material and the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of the device, is generally alleviated by lowering the energy difference between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of the donor (D) and acceptor (A). In this work, we synthesized two A-π-D-π-A-type small-molecule donors (SMDs) SM-benzotriazole (BTz)-1 and SM-BTz-2 by introducing a BTz π-bridge unit and terminal regulation. The BTz π-bridge unit significantly lowers the HOMO energy level of SMDs, resulting in high Voc and high mobility, achieving a balance of low energy loss (<0.5 eV) and high efficiency. Ultimately, the organic solar cells based on SM-BTz-2 as the donor and Y6 as the acceptor obtain a high Voc of 0.91 V, Jsc of 22.8 mA cm−2, fill factor of 68%, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.12%, which is one of the highest efficiencies based on the SMDs with triazole π-bridges to date. What’s more, the BTz π-bridge unit is a potential unit that can improve mobility and reduce energy loss.

Towards Efficient Blue Delayed-Fluorescence Molecules by Modulating Torsion Angle Between Electron Donor and Acceptor

Towards Efficient Blue Delayed-Fluorescence Molecules by Modulating Torsion Angle Between Electron Donor and Acceptor

Synthesis of innovative triphenylamine-functionalized organic photosensitizers outperformed the benchmark dye N719 for high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

Herein, we present a thorough photovoltaic investigation of four triphenylamine organic sensitizers with D–π–A configurations and compare their photovoltaic performances to the conventional ruthenium-based sensitizer N719. SFA-5–8 are synthesized and utilized as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. The effects of the donor unit (triphenylamine), π-conjugation bridge (thiophene ring), and various acceptors (phenylacetonitrile and 2-cyanoacetamide derivatives) were investigated. Moreover, this was asserted by profound calculations of HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) and LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy levels, the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), and natural bond orbital (NBO) that had been studied for the TPA-sensitizers. Theoretical density functional theory (DFT) was performed to study the distribution of electron density between donor and acceptor moieties. The sensitization by the absorption of sensitizers SFA-5–8 leads to an obvious enhancement in the visible light absorption (300–750 nm) as well as a higher photovoltaic efficiency in the range of (5.53–7.56%). Under optimized conditions, SFA-7 showed outstanding sensitization of nanocrystalline TiO2, resulting in enhancing the visible light absorption and upgrading the power conversion efficiency (PCE) to approximately 7.56% over that reported for the N719 (7.29%). Remarkably, SFA-7 outperformed N719 by 4% in the total conversion efficiency. Significantly, the superior performance of SFA-7 could be mainly ascribed to the higher short-circuit photocurrents (Jsc) in parallel with larger open-circuit voltages (Voc) and more importantly, the presence of different anchoring moieties that could enhance the ability to fill the gaps on the surface of the TiO2 semiconductor. That could be largely reflected in the overall enhancement in the device efficiency. Moreover, the theoretical electronic and photovoltaic properties of all studied sensitizers have been compared with experimental results. All the 2-cyanoacrylamide derivative sensitizers demonstrated robust photovoltaic performance.

Fine-Tuned Morphology Based on Two Well-Miscible Polymer Donors Enables Higher Open-Circuit Voltage and Enhanced Stability for Highly Efficient Ternary All-Polymer Solar Cells.

Developing organic solar cells based on a ternary active layer is one of the most effective approaches to improve their photovoltaic performance. However, limited success has been achieved in all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs). In this study, a ternary all-PSC with improved efficiency and stability is realized by using J71 as the third component to adjust the host system of PBDB-T:PG1. The deeper highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of J71 downshifts the mixed HOMO energy levels of donors. The two polymer donors (PD s) have good miscibility and present Förster resonance energy transfer. When blended with PG1, the optimized morphology is obtained, showing enhanced crystallinity but meanwhile slightly reduced phase separation with improved exciton dissociation and collection efficiency, suppressed charge recombination, and reduced energy loss (0.55eV). Combining the benefits mentioned above, the ternary all-PSC exhibits an excellent efficiency of 12.8% with simultaneously elevated open-circuit voltage (0.96V), short-circuit current density (18.4mAcm-2 ), and fill factor (72.2%). Moreover, the optimized ternary all-PSC shows improved storage and thermal stability. This study demonstrates that the utilization of a ternary all-polymer system based on two well-miscible PD s is an effective strategy to enhance the photovoltaic performance and stability of all-PSCs.

The Selection of Anode and Cathode Materials for Top Emission Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

In this study top emission organic light-emitting diodes (TE-OLED) were successfully fabricated on flexible PET/multilayer disordered silver nanonetwork (MDSN) substrate with conventional LiF/Al as a semitransparent cathode and Ag as a reflective anode. The effects of the hole injection layer, anode buffer layer, and an electron injection layer on the luminescence characteristics of TE-OLEDs were investigated. At first, the thickness of cathode Al is adjusted based upon the overall transmittance of the top-emission cathode and its conductivity. There is a high energy barrier for the hole between the work function of the anode Ag (4.2 eV) and the NPB highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level (5.5 eV), which is not favorable for hole injection. This study tested four types of hole injection layer (HIL) materials. Finally, MoO3 was selected as an optimal HIL material, and the optimum thickness was adjusted, enabling the hole to be injected smoothly from the anode to the NPB and then to an emitting layer. The TE-OLED luminance reached 268 cd/m2. There is a high energy barrier between the work function of Ag and MoO3 HOMO (5.3 eV)—about 1.1 eV—which is still not conducive to the hole injection, so a thin layer of high work function metal Au (work function 5.1 eV) was added to the top of the anode silver, which more matches with the MoO3 energy level. It can make the hole easier to inject from the anode to MoO3 (HIL) and protect the silver from oxidation. At 8 V, the luminance is increased to 413.7 cd/m2, and the current efficiency is 0.81 cd/A. The luminance is significantly improved. An electron transport/hole blocking layer TPBi (10 nm) was added to enhance the electron transport capability and effectively block the holes with higher electron mobility and a higher HOMO energy level of TPBi. So that more holes can remain in the emitting layer and increase the chance of the electron-hole recombination to improve the luminance and current efficiency of TE-OLED. At 8 V, the luminance and current efficiency can reach 611.4 cd/m2 and 0.95 cd/A, respectively.

Synthesis of linear unsubstituted poly(4,4′‐triphenylamine) via Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling of an asymmetric AB monomer

AbstractPolytriarylamines (PTAAs) are amorphous polymers that can be reversibly oxidized to generate stable radical cations. Despite exhibiting a low charge carrier mobility, PTAAs are widely used as hole‐transporting layers in perovskite solar cells due to their excellent stability under ambient conditions. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels of PTAA are generally in the range of −5.1 to −5.2 eV, and therefore slightly too high for an optimal alignment with perovskites. Most linear PTAAs carry two or three methyl substituents per repeating unit. While these prevent crosslinking of chains and thus provide reaction control, the electron‐donating substituents raise the energy level of the HOMO. Unsubstituted PTAA on the other hand is usually obtained crosslinked via oxidative polymerization, while nickel‐catalyzed Grignard polycondensation leads to inclusion of impurities. We report the synthesis of linear unsubstituted PTAA using Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling of a novel asymmetric monomer, 4‐((4‐bromophenyl)(phenyl)amino)phenyl)boronic acid M1. Based on matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) and 1H NMR analysis, we can conclude that the hydrogen‐terminated linear polymer is obtained. The determined HOMO energy level of −5.47 eV is a favorable match for many perovskite systems.

Simple Double Hetero[5]helicenes Realize Highly Efficient and Narrowband Circularly Polarized Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Simple Double Hetero[5]helicenes Realize Highly Efficient and Narrowband Circularly Polarized Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Enhancing the Intermolecular Interactions of Ladder-Type Heteroheptacene-Based Nonfullerene Acceptors for Efficient Polymer Solar Cells by Incorporating Asymmetric Side Chains

Enhancing the Intermolecular Interactions of Ladder-Type Heteroheptacene-Based Nonfullerene Acceptors for Efficient Polymer Solar Cells by Incorporating Asymmetric Side Chains

The Dog That Didn't Bark: A New Interpretation of Hypsoporphyrin Spectra and the Question of Hypsocorroles.

Nearly a half-century after Gouterman classified the UV–vis–NIR spectra of porphyrin derivatives as normal, hyper, or hypso, we propose a heretofore unsuspected “mechanism” underlying hypso spectra. Hypsoporphyrins, which exhibit blueshifted optical spectra relative to normal porphyrins (such as Zn porphyrins), typically involve dn transition metal ions, where n > 6. The spectral blueshifts have been traditionally ascribed to elevated porphyrin eg LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy levels as a result of antibonding interactions with metal dπ orbitals. Herein, we have found instead that the blueshifts reflect a lowering of the a2u HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) energy levels. Electronegative metals such as Pd and Pt transfer smaller quantities of electron density to the porphyrin nitrogens, compared to a more electropositive metal such as Zn. With large amplitudes at the porphyrin nitrogens, the a2u HOMOs of Pd(II) and Pt(II) porphyrins accordingly exhibit lower orbital energies than those of Zn(II) porphyrins, thus explaining the hypso effect. Hypso spectra are also observed for corroles: compared with six-coordinate Al(III) corroles, which may be thought of exhibiting normal spectra, Au(III) corroles, for instance, exhibit blueshifted or hypso spectra.

Harnessing the Inductive Effect To Design New Donor–Acceptor–Acceptor′-Configured Small-Molecule Donors for Vacuum-Processed Organic Photovoltaics

Three new donor–acceptor–acceptor′ (D–A–A′)-configured molecules, DTCFiBT, DTCFoBT, and DTCF2BT, with F-substituted benzothiadiazole (BT) as the A group, and two molecules, DTCPiTD and DTCPoTD, adopting pyridal[2,1,3]-thiadiazole (PTD) as the A group, were synthesized and characterized. The effects of the F-substitution number and the orientation of mono F-substituted BT and PTD relative to the D group on the physical properties and intermolecular interactions were examined, together with theoretical calculations to establish the structure–property relationship. In comparison to the parent molecule DTCPB, the inductive effects of F-substituted BTs lower both highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of DTCFiBT, DTCFoBT, and DTCF2BT and, thus, similar optical energy gaps (Egopt), while DTCPiTD and DTCPoTD exhibit much lower LUMO energy levels and reduced Egopt, ascribing to the electron-deficient character of PTD. The strong dipolar features of the D–A–A′-configured structure resulting in the antiparallel dimeric packing with different intermolecular interactions in their crystal structures were observed by X-ray analyses. Small-molecule organic solar cells (SMOSCs) with a bulk heterojunction active layer comprising new D–A–A′ donors and C70 were fabricated and characterized. The deeper LUMO levels and reduced Egopt benefit the DTCPiTD- and DTCPoTD-based devices to have higher short current density (JSC), while the DTCFiBT-, DTCFoBT-, and DTCF2BT-based devices benefited from the lower HOMO energy levels that lead to the higher open circuit voltage (VOC). Transient photoluminescence, atomic force microscopy, and incident-light-intensity-dependent device characteristics were examined to reveal the recombination issue for the inferior DTCFoBT-based device. Among these new donors, the DTCFiBT-based device shows the best performance, with VOC of 0.94, JSC of 11.3 mA/cm2, fill factor (FF) of 0.65, and power conversion efficiency of 6.8%, which are attributed to the high VOC as a result of the deeper HOMO level and the superior FF as a result of good exciton separation and charge carrier transport.

Incorporation of a Guaiacol‐Based Small Molecule Guest Donor Enables Efficient Nonfullerene Acceptor‐Based Ternary Organic Solar Cells

To improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the organic solar cells (OSCs), it is necessary to widen the absorption profile of the active layer. It is possible by using a ternary active layer consisting of either two donors (D) and one acceptor (A) or two acceptors and one donor having complementary absorption and appropriate frontier energy levels for efficient exciton generation and their dissociation into free charge carriers and subsequent charge/energy transfer. Herein, a large bandgap guaiacol‐based small molecule (SMD) is used as guest donor in ternary OSCs to improve the PCE and suppress the energy loss. SMD exhibits a lager bandgap and deeper highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level compared with conjugated polymer donor (P). Therefore, the HOMO energy level is effectively down‐shifted when P is mixed with SMD, which is beneficial for attaining high open circuit voltage (VOC). OSCs based on the optimized ternary blend P:SMD:Y6 (0.8:0.2:1.2, w/w) after solvent vapor annealing attained a higher VOC of 0.85 V and low energy loss of 0.51 eV compared with the binary device P:Y6 (1:1.2, w/w) with VOC of 0.81 V and energy loss of 0.55 eV, delivering an overall PCE of 15.37%.

The coordinated tunning optical, electrical and thermal properties of spiro-configured phenyl acridophopsphine oxide and sulfide for host materials

Two spiro-configured phenyl acridophopsphine-based oxide and sulfide host materials, named 5-phenyl-5H-spiro[acridophosphine- 10,9′-fluorene]-5-oxide (PSAFO) and 5-phenyl-5H-spiro [acridopho-sphine-10,9′-fluorene]5-sulfide (PSAFS), were synthesized by convenient method. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level and electron mobility could be decreased and improved as the S-atom replaced O-atom, respectively. Then, the electron injecting/transporting ability of PSAFS is expected to be enhanced. Moreover, the S-atom would provide PSAFS with better electron-donating capability and heavier molecular weight compared with that of PSAFO. Thus, a higher HOMO (the highest occupied molecular orbital) energy level and thermal stability can be achieved due to the shallower onset of oxidation potential and increased molecular weight. Consequently, a narrower energy gap between HOMO and LUMO of PSAFS would be obtained, and its thermal stability could be improved, which is beneficial to constructing high performance device. Although the frontier molecular orbitals and thermal stability were finely controlled by molecular modification, the high triplet (T 1 ) energy level was still retained due to the limited π-conjugation. With the high T 1 , HOMO and LUMO energy levels of 2.83/2.82, −6.19/-5.66 and −2.12/-2.19 eV, PSAFO and PSAFS based blue TADF OLEDs with low driving voltages of 2.9/3.1 V and maximum EQEs of 12.4/13.8% are successfully realized. • The first spiro-configured phenyl acridophopsphine-based oxidized compounds as hosts for TADF OLEDs. • A facile method was employed to tune the optical, electrical and thermal properties of the hosts collaboratively. • The spiro-configured phenyl acridophopsphine-based oxidized compounds could successfully suppress the concentration quenching of the guest demonstrated by the blue TADF OLEDs with high performance at the high doping ratio of 30%.

Effect of fluorine atoms on optoelectronic, aggregation and dielectric constants of 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-based alternating conjugated polymers

Three 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-based conjugated copolymers named PBDT-0F-BTs, PBDT-2F-BTs and PBDT-6F-FBTs, which were derived from 4,8-bis(4,5-dioctylthiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene and (3,4′-bis(2-hexyl- decyl)-2,2′-dithiophene-5-yl) substituted 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole and/or 5,6-difluoro- 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole derivatives with 2,2′-dithiophene and/or 3,3′-difluoro- 2,2′-dithiophene as π-linkers, were prepared and characterized. The copolymers PBDT-0F-BTs, PBDT-2F-BTs and PBDT-6F-FBTs exhibited the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied orbital (LUMO) energy levels of −5.38 eV/−3.57 eV, −5.45 eV/−3.65 eV and −5.55 eV/−3.78 eV, with the light response from 300 nm to 720–750 nm, alongside with the similar aggregation, except that the charge transporting mobilities were successively increased, and the dielectric constants were gradually improved from 3.3 to 4.8 to 5.9 at 1 KHz, while the fluorine atoms in the each repeat unit of polymers were varied from 0 to 2 and then up to 6, respectively. Beyond that, it has also been found that the power conversion efficiencies and exciton dissociation probability (P(E,T)) of the bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells (BHJ-OPVs) from the blend films of polymers paired with Y6 (2,2'-((2Z,2'Z)-((12,13-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,9-diundecyl12,13-dihydro[1,2,5]thia- diazolo[3,4-e]thieno[2'',3'':4',5']thieno[2',3':4,5]pyrrolo[3,2-g]thieno[2',3':4,5]thieno[3,2-b]indole-2,10-diyl)bis(methanylylidene))bis(5,6-difluoro-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-ind-ene-2,1-diylidene))dimalononitrile), were varied from 7.83% and 85.9%, to 9.22% and 90.2% and then up to 12.34% and 91.4%. The results indicated that the continuous insertion of the fluorine atoms into the repeat units of the conjugated polymers would result in the consecutively deepening the HOMO energy levels, increase dielectric constants and charge mobilities, thus devote to the enhancement of the P(E,T) and the performance of the BHJ-OPVs.

18.02% Efficiency ternary organic solar cells with a small-molecular donor third component

Ternary strategy is one of the most effective approaches to boost the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs) and overcome the trade-off between photovoltage and photocurrent that sets limitation on the performance enhancement of regular binary devices. Herein, a small-molecule (SM) donor BPR-SCl, with deep-lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level and strong crystallinity, was elaborately selected as the third component in the PM6:BTP-eC9 host binary blend to fabricate ternary organic solar cells (TOSCs). The doping of BPR-SCl is found to enhance the crystallinity of the photoactive layers but slightly reduce the donor/acceptor phase separation scale. The TOSCs with 20 wt% BPR-SCl in donors delivered a high PCE of 18.02% together with the enhanced Voc and Jsc, which was ascribed to the deep-lying HOMO energy level, broadened absorption spectra, improved exciton separation process and faster hole transfer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest PCE for TOSCs using SM donor as the third component reported so far, which provides new insight in achieving high-performance TOSCs.

Ternary polymer solar cells by employing two well-compatible donors with cascade energy levels

In this study, a ternary polymer solar cell (PSCs) are fabricated by using two well-compatible donors as a blend donor (D18 as the host donor and PBDB-TF as the guest donor) and Y6 as an acceptor. The D18:Y6 and PBDB-TF:Y6 binary PSCs exhibit 13.96% and 13.42% power conversion efficiencies (PCEs), respectively. D18 and PBDB-TF have similar highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels, which prevents the formation of charge recombination centers within photoactive layer. The increased short-circuit current density (JSC) is mainly attributed to the complementary absorption spectra of PBDB-TF to that of D18 and Y6. In addition, the cascade lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of D18 and PBDB-TF lead to improved exciton dissociation and charge transport at the D18/PBDB-TF interface. The optimized ternary PSCs show highest PCE of 14.85%. Such ternary strategy with two well-compatible donors with similar HOMO energy levels and cascade LUMO energy levels is an efficient method to realize performance improvement of PSCs.

Investigation on the photophysical properties of Cu(I) complexes supported by N‐heterocyclic carbene ligands with electron‐donating/withdrawing groups on imidazolylidene unit

AbstractTwo new four‐coordinate Cu(I) complexes consisted of bidentate NHC ligand and diphosphine ligand were successfully synthesized and characterized. The electron‐donating methyl and electron‐withdrawing chlorine groups were introduced into the imidazolylidene unit of N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands to investigate their influences on the photophysical properties of complexes. The red‐shifted low‐energy absorption bands indicate that both methyl and chlorine decreased the band gaps between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). Theoretical calculation results show the methyl group raised the energy level of HOMO more than that of LUMO, while the chlorine substituent lowered the energy level of LUMO more than that of HOMO. Both these Cu(I) complexes show high emission efficiencies and microsecond‐scale emission lifetimes. The photophysical data at 77 K show that emissions of these complexes are the mixture of phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF).

Design of All-Fused-Ring Electron Acceptors with High Thermal, Chemical, and Photochemical Stability for Organic Photovoltaics

High-performance donor–acceptor electron acceptors containing 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ylidene)malononitrile (INCN)-type terminals are labile toward photooxidation and basic conditions, and ...