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Blue organic light-emitting diodes require high triplet interlayer materials, which induce large energetic barriers at the interfaces resulting in high device voltages and reduced efficiencies. Here, we alleviate this issue by designing a low triplet energy hole transporting interlayer with high mobility, combined with an interface exciplex that confines excitons at the emissive layer/electron transporting material interface. As a result, blue thermally activated delay fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes with a below-bandgap turn-on voltage of 2.5 V and an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 41.2% were successfully fabricated. These devices also showed suppressed efficiency roll-off maintaining an EQE of 34.8% at 1000 cd m−2. Our approach paves the way for further progress through exploring alternative device engineering approaches instead of only focusing on the demanding synthesis of organic compounds with complex structures. © 2021, The Author(s).

Organic solar cells based on nonfullerene acceptors have recently witnessed a significant rise in their power conversion efficiency values. However, they still suffer from severe instability issues, especially in an inverted device architecture based on the zinc oxide bottom electron transport layers. In this work, we insert a pyrene-bodipy donor-acceptor dye as a thin interlayer at the photoactive layer/zinc oxide interface to suppress the degradation reaction of the nonfullerene acceptor caused by the photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide. In particular, the pyrene-bodipy-based interlayer inhibits the direct contact between the nonfullerene acceptor and zinc oxide hence preventing the decomposition of the former by zinc oxide under illumination with UV light. As a result, the device photostability was significantly improved. The π-πinteraction between the nonfullerene acceptor and the bodipy part of the interlayer facilitates charge transfer from the nonfullerene acceptor toward pyrene, which is followed by intramolecular charge transfer to bodipy part and then to zinc oxide. The bodipy-pyrene modified zinc oxide also increased the degree of crystallization of the photoactive blend and the face-on stacking of the polymer donor molecules within the blend hence contributing to both enhanced charge transport and increased absorption of the incident light. Furthermore, it decreased the surface work function as well as surface energy of the zinc oxide film all impacting in improved power conversion efficiency values of the fabricated cells with champion devices reaching values up to 9.86 and 11.80% for the fullerene and nonfullerene-based devices, respectively. © 2020 American Chemical Society.

Identifying the role of multiple cooperative supramolecular interactions and the working mechanism underlying the formation of sophisticated, well-defined self-assembled architectures is definitely a challenging and formidable task in understanding the complexity in chemical systems and engineering the properties of advanced materials. The topological design of multifunctional tectons, capable of self-organizing into patterned supramolecular assemblies comprising stacked aromatic molecules, is of particular importance because it can lead to the predictable emergence of controlled functions with tailored electronic properties. Herein, we provide spectroscopic, structural, and mechanistic insights on metal-ion-mediated self-assembly of a charged, amphiphilic perylene-bisimide (PBI) dimer S into two-dimensional (2D) arrays consisting of parallel columnar PBI stacks with a precise spatial arrangement and pattern behavior, using a readily accessible design strategy. The building block (S), a centrosymmetric PBI homodimer bearing a disulfonated trans-stilbene core, was designed to concurrently feature high complexation directionality with a strong binding affinity through multiple supramolecular interactions. In solvents that efficiently solvate PBI, e.g., chloroform, the zinc ion interacts strongly through electrostatic interactions with the negatively charged core of S, and with the πcloud of the stilbene moiety (cation-πinteractions) forming simple 1:1 adducts. In methanol, the findings manifest the efficient formation of well-defined aggregates with H-type excitonic coupling. A single-crystal X-ray structure reveals, despite the sterically crowded bay area of PBIs constituting S, an unprecedented pattern of 2D arrays comprising face-to-face, slipped π-stacked PBI interdimers that pack in parallel columns. This molecular arrangement explains the quenched fluorescence in solution, as well as the appearance of weak excimer-like fluorescence both in solution and crystals. The spectroscopic and structural findings converge to the conclusion that the development of aggregates in solution proceeds by a cooperative growth process driven by a collection of different supramolecular interactions, i.e., electrostatic (core of S), π-πstacking (terminal PBIs), and multiple C-H···π(bay substituents). A corresponding aggregation model fits satisfactorily the experimental data in solution and allows extracting the association constants and spectra of the equilibrated species. © Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society.

LnIII coordination compounds were synthesized with two benzimidazolic ligands, 2 pb = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole and 4tb = 2-(4-thiazolyl)benzimidazole, with Eu, Gd, Tb and Dy, namely: [Ln (NO3)3 (Ln)2]⋅S, where Ln = 2 pb, 4tb and S = solvent. They were characterized by IR, 1D and 2D 1H and 13C NMR, solid state UV–Vis–NIR absorption and emission and EPR spectroscopies, X-ray powder diffraction, elemental analyses, electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility. The compounds of EuIII with 2 pb and 4tb, TbIII and DyIII with 4tb showed luminescence at RT in the solid state; their emission life time ranged from 0.026 to 1.82 ms. 2 pb and 4tb sensitized lanthanides luminescence. Results of DFT theoretical calculations for the ligand (H2L) are used to assign the ligand singlet and triplet excited state energy levels. Additionally, a full analysis of the X-band EPR spectra in the solid state gave the following results, at 297 K for [Gd(NO3)3 (2 pb)2]·CH3COCH3, g = 1.990, |D| = 0.0687 cm−1, E = 0.0165 cm−1 and λ = |E/D| = 0.240; for [Gd(NO3)3 (4tb)2]⋅CH3COCH3, g = 2.000; |D| = 0.0670 cm−1, E = 0.000 cm−1 and λ = |E/D| = 0.000. At lower temperature, 128 K, compounds showed an increase of the rhombicity as the temperature decreased. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

The intramolecular excitation energy transfer (EET) processes in a series of fluorescent-unquenched, self-assembled metallocycles consisting of spatially fixed-separated and parallel-aligned Bodipy chromophores, are investigated here by steady-state and femtosecond-fluorescence upconversion measurements in the solution phase. These multi-Bodipy macrocycles, namely, the rhomboid (A1), the tetragon (A2) and the hexagon (A3), are formed via temperature-regulated Pt(II)-pyridyl coordination and consist, respectively, of two, four, and six Bodipy subunits, which are locked at the corners and aligned with their long molecular axes perpendicular to the rigid polygonal frame formed by the alternating B⋯Pt(II) connectivities. Extensive simulations and fits to the experimental fluorescence anisotropy decays r(t) show that EET within the cyclic scaffolds is quite uniform and much faster than the intrinsic decay rate of the Bodipy's. The equalization of the excitation survival probabilities over time of all chromophores is found to be dependent upon the size of the macrocycle. From the observed dynamics supported by geometry optimization calculations, it is concluded that, in contrast to the model compound A1, in the large macrocycles the perfect parallel orientation of the Bodipy dipoles is lifted through limited out-of-plane distortions of the metallocyclic framework from a planar conformation. Additionally, we show that, as opposed to analogous covalent macrocycles, the survival probability of excitons as well as the degree of symmetry distortion and homogeneity in dipole spacing remains nearly intact as the size of the macrocycle increases from tetragon to hexagon. (Chemical Equation Presented). © 2017 American Chemical Society.

Journal URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03796779

On irradiation in hexane (248- and 308-nm laser light) 4-diphenyl(trimethylsilyl)methyl-N,N-dimethylaniline, undergoes photodissociation of the C-Si bond giving 4-N,N-dimethylamino-triphenylmethyl radical, 3(.) (lambda(max) at 343 and 403 nm), in very high quantum yield (Phi = 0.92). The intervention of the triplet state of 2 (lambda(max) at 515 nm) is clearly demonstrated through quenching experiments with 2,3-dimethylbuta-1,3-diene, styrene, and methyl methacrylate using nanosecond laser flash photolysis (LFP). The formation of 3(.) is further demonstrated using EPR spectroscopy. The detection of the S-1 state of 2 was achieved using 266-nm picosecond LFP, and its lifetime was found to be 1400 ps. in agreement with the fluorescence lifetime (tau(f) = 1500 ps, Phi(f) = 0.085). The S-1 state is converted almost exclusively to the T-1 state (Phi T = 0.92). In polar solvents such as MeCN, 2 undergoes (1) photoionization to its radical cation 2(.+), and (2) photodissociation of the C-Si bond, giving radical 3(.) as before in hexane. The formation of 2(.+) occurs through a two-photon process. Radical cation 2(.+) does not fragment further, as would be expected, to 3(.) via a nucleophile(MeCN)assisted C-Si bond cleavage but regenerates the parent compound 2. Obviously, the bulkiness of the triphenylmethyl group prevents interaction of 2(.+) with the solvent (MeCN) and transfer to it of the electrofugal group Me3Si+. The above results of the laser flash photolysis are supported by pulse radiolysis, fluorescence measurements, and product analysis. Journal of Organic Chemistry