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Tuning the energy levels of organic semiconductors in a predictable and durable manner is a challenging, yet necessary task to obtain high performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. Thermal diffusion and drift of dopants used for energy level control in the mostly van der Waals-cohered solids results in the degradation of the defined interfaces that all electronic and optoelectronic devices rely on. An important goal is therefore their spatial fixation in multilayer organic device stacks. This work aims at covalently functionalizing the interface of an immobilized organic semiconductor polymer. To achieve this goal, the side chains of a polyfluorene are equipped with biscyclopentadienyl moieties which undergo thermal fragmentation via retro-Diels–Alder reactions to yield cyclopentadienyl functions. Diels–Alder cycloadditions of these functional groups cross-link adjacent polymer chains. In a second step, unreacted cyclopentadienyl units at the interface are covalently functionalized with strong dienophiles through a Diels–Alder reaction from solution. This reaction sequence modifies the energetics and the work function at the interface. Transfer of our protocol to other conjugated polymers and/or reaction types paves the way to tunable energy levels at organic–organic interfaces and to universal introduction of functions at organic semiconductor interfaces after deposition from solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The larger acenes and heteroacenes (>pentacenes) are attractive, yet sensitive materials; several strategies were developed to stabilize such species. "Classic" approaches employ bulky substituents that also solubilize these polycyclic aromatic (aza)hydrocarbons. Alternative strategies were developed conferring kinetic stabilization through solid state arrangements, addition of further Clar sextets through π-extension, on-surface syntheses and stabilization through extreme steric shielding, giving a highly twisted acene backbone. Another option is the generation of isoelectronic acene analogues from π-extended quinodimethanes. Some of the highly stabilized materials do not mimic the characteristics of their parent (aza)acenes but exhibit different – yet attractive – properties, dissected in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis, properties and solid state X-ray single crystal structures of two new rubrene-derivatives, viz diazarubrene (4,4′-(6,12-diphenyltetracene-5,11-diyl)dipyridine) and tetraazarubrene (5,6,11,12-tetra(pyridin-4-yl)tetracene), are reported. Both the azarubrenes are more oxidatively stable than rubrene itself and show very similar optical properties but differ in their crystal packing from that of rubrene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We crosslink an amino-functionalized polyfluorene by the solvent additive 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO). DIO remains in the film after drying of the main solvent and chemically binds to the amino-side groups after a low temperature annealing step, rendering the polyfluorene film insoluble in non-polar solvents. We correlate the amount of DIO, the reduction of operational voltage and increase in lifetime of solution-processed OLEDs. We demonstrate a fully solution-processed device using the crosslinked polyfluorene electron injection layer and an inkjet-printed Ag top electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three different, water soluble, aldehyde-appended distyrylbenzene (DSB) derivatives were prepared. Their interaction with different albumin variants (human, porcine, bovine, lactalbumin, ovalbumin) was investigated (pH 11). All three fluorophores exhibit graded, protein-dependent fluorescence turn-on at slightly differing wavelengths. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) differentiated all of the investigated albumins and was used to discern commercially available protein shakes. The three DSB derivatives barely react with the constituting amino acids but cysteine. In the proteins significant fluorescence signals are generated, probably due to a combination of imine/N,S-aminal formation and hydrophobic interactions between the DSBs and the proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]