PdI Dimer Research Articles

Modular Functionalization of Arenes in a Triply Selective Sequence: Rapid C(sp2 ) and C(sp3 ) Coupling of C-Br, C-OTf, and C-Cl Bonds Enabled by a Single Palladium(I) Dimer.

Full control over multiple competing coupling sites would enable straightforward access to densely functionalized compound libraries. Historically, the site selection in Pd0‐catalyzed functionalizations of poly(pseudo)halogenated arenes has been unpredictable, being dependent on the employed catalyst, the reaction conditions, and the substrate itself. Building on our previous report of C−Br‐selective functionalization in the presence of C−OTf and C−Cl bonds, we herein complete the sequence and demonstrate the first general arylations and alkylations of C−OTf bonds (in <10 min), followed by functionalization of the C−Cl site (in <25 min), at room temperature using the same air‐ and moisture‐stable PdI dimer. This allowed the realization of the first general and triply selective sequential C−C coupling (in 2D and 3D space) of C−Br followed by C−OTf and then C−Cl bonds.

Efficient Organic Solar Cells with Extremely High Open‐Circuit Voltages and Low Voltage Losses by Suppressing Nonradiative Recombination Losses

AbstractOne of the most important factors that limits the efficiencies of bulk‐heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs) is the modest open‐circuit voltage (Voc) due to their large voltage loss (Vloss) caused by significant nonradiative recombination loss. To boost the performance of OSCs toward their theoretical limit, developing high‐performance donor: acceptor systems featuring low Vloss with suppressed nonradiative recombination losses (&lt;0.30 V) is desired. Herein, high performance OSCs based on a polymer donor benzodithiophene‐difluorobenzoxadiazole‐2‐decyltetradecyl (BDT‐ffBX‐DT) and perylenediimide‐based acceptors (PDI dimer with spirofluorene linker (SFPDI), PDI4, and PDI6) are reported which offer a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.5%, 56% external quantum efficiency associated with very high Voc (&gt;1.10 V) and low Vloss (&lt;0.60 V). A high Voc up to 1.23 V is achieved, which is among the highest values reported for OSCs with a PCE beyond 6%, to date. These attractive results are benefit from the suppressed nonradiative recombination voltage loss, which is as low as 0.20 V. This value is the lowest value for OSCs so far and is comparable to high performance crystalline silicon and perovskite solar cells. These results show that OSCs have the potential to achieve comparable Voc and voltage loss as inorganic photovoltaic technologies.

N-annulated perylene diimide dimers: the effect of thiophene bridges on physical, electronic, optical, and photovoltaic properties

In this work, we report on the synthesis, characterization, and photovoltaic properties of two new N-annulated PDI derivatives connected with one (M1) or two (M2) thiophene bridging units and directly compare to a twisted PDI dimer with no thiophene units (tPDI-Hex).

Rapid Room-Temperature, Chemoselective Csp2 -Csp2 Coupling of Poly(pseudo)halogenated Arenes Enabled by Palladium(I) Catalysis in Air.

While chemoselectivities in Pd0‐catalyzed coupling reactions are frequently non‐intuitive and a result of a complex interplay of ligand/catalyst, substrate, and reaction conditions, we herein report a general method based on PdI that allows for an a priori predictable chemoselective Csp2 −Csp2 coupling at C−Br in preference to C−OTf and C−Cl bonds, regardless of the electronic or steric bias of the substrate. The C−C bond formations are extremely rapid (<5 min at RT) and are catalyzed by an air‐ and moisture‐stable PdI dimer under open‐flask conditions.

Rapid Room‐Temperature, Chemoselective C−C Coupling of Poly(pseudo)halogenated Arenes Enabled by Palladium(I) Catalysis in Air

AbstractWhile chemoselectivities in Pd0‐catalyzed coupling reactions are frequently non‐intuitive and a result of a complex interplay of ligand/catalyst, substrate, and reaction conditions, we herein report a general method based on PdI that allows for an a priori predictable chemoselective C −C coupling at C−Br in preference to C−OTf and C−Cl bonds, regardless of the electronic or steric bias of the substrate. The C−C bond formations are extremely rapid (&lt;5 min at RT) and are catalyzed by an air‐ and moisture‐stable PdI dimer under open‐flask conditions.

Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Solar Cell Performance of N-Annulated Perylene Diimide Non-Fullerene Acceptors

The synthesis, characterization, and photovoltaic performance of a series of N-annulated PDI materials is presented. Four novel N-annulated PDI compounds are reported, each of which can be synthesized in gram scale without the need for purification using column chromatography. N-Annulation of the PDI chromophore results in a decrease in electron affinity and lowering of the ionization potential, and renders the chromophore insoluble in organic solvents. Installation of an alkyl group improves the solubility. Single crystal X-ray analysis reveals a bowing of the aromatic backbone and compression of phenyl rings adjacent to the N atom. A brominated N-annulated PDI derivate represents a valuable synthon for creating novel multi-PDI chromophore materials. To demonstrate the utility of the new synthon for making electron transporting materials, a dimerization strategy was employed to create a dimeric PDI material. The PDI dimer has excellent solubility and film forming ability along with energetically deep HOM...

Controllable Electronic Structures and Photoinduced Processes of Bay-Linked Perylenediimide Dimers and a Ferrocene-Linked Triad.

A series of perylene-3,4,9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDI) dimers linked through the bay regions was systematically synthesized to examine the electronic structures and photophysical properties in dependence on the distance and orientation between the two PDI units. The spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements suggested that the coupling value of a directly linked PDI dimer (PDI)2 is much larger than those of para- and meta-phenylene-bridged PDI dimers p-(PDI)2 and m-(PDI)2 . The width of Davydov splitting was quantitatively evaluated to compare the coupling values between the two PDI units in these dimers by absorption spectroscopy in frozen 2-methyl-THF. Excimer formation of PDI dimers induced the strong fluorescence quenching and large red-shifts. Femtosecond transient absorption revealed a broad absorption derived from an excimer in the range from about 600 nm to the near-IR region. The rate constants of formation and decay of the excimer are strongly dependent on the coupling values. Time-resolved measurements on ferrocene-linked p-(PDI)2 revealed a competition between the photoinduced processes of electron transfer and excimer formation in PhCN, which is in sharp contrast with the sole electron-transfer process in toluene.

Trifluoromethylthiolation of Aryl Iodides and Bromides Enabled by a Bench‐Stable and Easy‐To‐Recover Dinuclear Palladium(I) Catalyst

AbstractWhile palladium catalysis is ubiquitous in modern chemical research, the recovery of the active transition‐metal complex under routine laboratory applications is frequently challenging. Described herein is the concept of alternative cross‐coupling cycles with a more robust (air‐, moisture‐, and thermally‐stable) dinuclear PdI complex, thus avoiding the handling of sensitive Pd0 species or ligands. Highly efficient CSCF3 coupling of a range of aryl iodides and bromides was achieved, and the recovery of the PdI complex was accomplished via simple open‐atmosphere column chromatography. Kinetic and computational data support the feasibility of dinuclear PdI catalysis. A novel SCF3‐bridged PdI dimer was isolated, characterized by X‐ray crystallography, and verified to be a competent catalytic intermediate.

A selenophenyl bridged perylene diimide dimer as an efficient solution-processable small molecule acceptor

We report herein a new solution-processable small molecule acceptor, a selenophenyl bridged perylene diimide dimer, that gives 4.0% efficiency when employing PBDTTT-C-T as the polymer donor and a conventional cell structure.

Resonance Raman Spectra of a Perylene Bis(dicarboximide) Chromophore in Ground and Lowest Triplet States

Resonance Raman spectroscopy is employed to probe the ground (S0) and lowest triplet (T1) excited states of a perylene bis(dicarboximide) (PDI) dimer. Four bands at ~1324, 1507, ~1535, and 1597 cm(-1) are signatures of the T1 excited state; a fifth band at ~1160 cm(-1) is tentatively assigned. Density functional calculations of an asymmetrically substituted PDI monomer match the experimental bands of the PDI dimer in both S0 and T1 states. The match supports a T1 excited state that is localized on a single PDI moiety of the dimer. The normal modes of the asymmetrically substituted PDI are correlated with ones calculated for the unsubstituted PDI in the D2h point group. Patterns in the Raman intensities are consistent with an A-term mechanism of enhancement. The positions of six bands are predicted for the resonance Raman spectrum of unsubstituted PDI in its T1 excited state. The spectra and normal-mode analysis reported here are expected to facilitate future studies of singlet fission in PDI crystals or other assemblies.

Cationic perylenediimide as a specific fluorescent binder to mismatch containing DNA

Small ligand molecules, which can recognize thermodynamically unstable site within DNA, such as mismatch base pair, abasic site, and single-bulge, have attracted much attention because of their potential diagnostics and biological applications. In this paper, we describe the binding of cationic perylenediimide (cPDI) molecules to thymine-containing mismatch base pair in DNA and the formation of cPDI dimer at the mismatch site. The cPDI dimer exhibits a characteristic excimer emission at 650nm. For T/T mismatch containing DNA, the switching behavior from the PDI dimer (650nm) to the monomer (550nm) emission in specific response to Hg2+ ion was observed.

Perpendicularly entangled perylene diimides for high performance electron transport materials

A new family of perpendicularly entangled perylene diimides and di(perylene diimide) dimers featuring double linkage was synthesized via copper-mediated Ullmann coupling. The highly twisting structures endow them remarkable electron transport characteristics with comparable mobility reaching 0.16 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an on/off current ratio up to 5.0 × 106 in air for PDI dimer based solution-processed OTFTs. While diPDI dimers with expanded conjugated core proved their competing electron mobilities as PDI dimers, especially for their low threshold voltage and good air stability.

The 1,4-phenylenediisocyanide dimer: gas-phase properties and insights into organic self-assembled monolayers

The 1,4-phenylenediisocyanide (PDI) dimer serves as an intriguing case of the substituted benzene dimer, as well as a prototype system for self-assembled monolayers of organic isocyanide complexes. Structures and binding energies are explored using recently developed dual-basis second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory energies and gradients. The structures are dictated by a combination of dispersion and electrostatics, a combination not properly treated with local or gradient-corrected density functionals. The PDI dimer binds more than twice as strongly as unsubstituted benzene dimers in several configurations, and greater directional specificity between parallel-displaced and T-shaped structures is observed. A rotated-parallel structure is the predicted lowest-energy, gas-phase configuration, in which the isocyanide ligands are staggered on the monomers. Relevant potential energy curves of the dimer are also presented, and insights into PDI monolayer formation on metal surfaces are explored via simple two-body models. Based on the adsorbate interaction alone, a high-coverage configuration and non-vertical tilt are predicted to be favorable, although the total binding for PDI in these configurations is still insufficient to form ordered monolayers, a result consistent with previous experimental findings. Additional phenyl rings (biphenyldiisocyanide, triphenyldiisocyanide) significantly stabilize the interaction and provide the additional dispersion necessary for an ordered monolayer.

Excited State, Charge Transfer, and Spin Dynamics in DNA Hairpin Conjugates with Perylenediimide Hairpin Linkers

A series of short DNA hairpins (nG) using perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDI) as the hairpin linker was synthesized in which the distance between the PDI and a guanine-cytosine (G-C) base pair is systematically varied by changing the number (n - 1) of adenine-thymine (A-T) base pairs between them. Due to the relatively large hydrophobic surface of PDI, the nG hairpins dimerize in buffer solutions. The photophysics and photochemistry of these hairpins were investigated using femtosecond transient absorption and time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy. Photoexcitation of the self-assembled PDI dimer within each nG hairpin results in subpicosecond formation of its lower exciton state ((1*)PDI(2)) followed by formation of an excimer-like state ((1*X)PDI(2)) with tau = 10-28 ps. Both of these states are lower in energy than (1*)PDI, so that neither can oxidize A, C, and T. Electron transfer from G to (1*)PDI(2) is faster than formation of (1*X)PDI(2) only for 1G. Electron transfer from G to (1*X)PDI(2) for 2G-8G, occurs by the superexchange mechanism and, thus, becomes exponentially less efficient as the G-PDI(2) distance increases. Nevertheless, TREPR studies show that photoexcitation of 2G and 4G produce spin-correlated radical ion pairs having electron spin polarization patterns indicating that a low yield of charge separation proceeds from (1*X)PDI(2) by the radical pair intersystem crossing (RP-ISC) mechanism to initially yield a singlet radical ion pair. The strong spin-polarization of the radical ion pairs makes it possible to observe them, even though their concentration is low. As expected, the hairpin lacking G (0G) and that having the longest G-PDI(2) distance (8G) display no TREPR radical ion pair signals. Hairpins 0G, 2G, 4G, and 8G all exhibit triplet EPR spectra at 85 K. Simulations of the spectra show that (3*)PDI is produced mainly by a spin-orbit-induced intersystem crossing mechanism, while the spectra of 2G and 4G have 5% and 21% contributions, respectively, from (3*)PDI produced by charge recombination of radical ion pairs that originate from RP-ISC. These low percentages of RP-ISC derived (3*)PDI result mainly from the low yield of radical ion pairs in 2G and 4G.

Redox properties and cross-linking of the dithiol/disulphide active sites of mammalian protein disulphide-isomerase

1. The redox properties of the active-site dithiol/disulphide groups of PDI were determined by equilibrating the enzyme with an excess of GSH + GSSG, rapidly alkylating the dithiol form of the enzyme to inactivate it irreversibly, and determining the proportion of the disulphide form by measuring the residual activity under standard conditions. 2. The extent of reduction varied with the applied redox potential; to a first approximation, the data fitted a model in which all the enzyme dithiol/disulphide groups are independent and equivalent and the equilibrium constant between these sites and the GSH/GSSG redox couple is 42 microM at pH 7.5. 3. The standard redox potential for PDI active-site dithiol/disulphide couples was calculated from this result and found to be -0.11 V; hence PDI is a stronger oxidant and weaker reductant than GSH, nicotinamide cofactors, thioredoxin and dithiothreitol. 4. The redox equilibrium data for PDI with the GSH/GSSG redox couple showed sigmoidal deviations from linearity. The sigmoidicity could be modelled closely by assuming a Hill coefficient of 1.5. 5. This evidence of co-operative interactions between the four active sites in a PDI dimer was extended by studying the reaction between PDI and homobifunctional alkylating agents with various lengths between the reactive groups. A species whose electrophoretic mobility suggested it contained an intrachain cross-link was observed in all cases, whereas there was no evidence for cross-linking between the chains of the PDI homodimer. Most effective cross-linking was achieved with reagents containing five or more methylene spacer groups, implying a minimum distance of 1.6 nm (16 A) between the active-site reactive groups within the two thioredoxin-like domains of the PDI polypeptide.