Mitsuharu Suzuki

Nanochannel Array within a Multilayered Network of a Planarized Dehydro[24]annulene

Dehydro[24]annulene 1c adopts an unusual planarized conformation in the crystal. A multilayered stack of hydrogen-bonded grids delineates tightly packed nanotubular channels. The related macrocycles 1a and 1b, on the other hand, have the expected puckered conformations in the crystal.

Tetrabenzoperipentacene: Stable Five-Electron Donating Ability and a Discrete Triple-Layered β-Graphite Form in the Solid State.

An oxidative ring-closure reaction of a tetranaphthylpyrene derivative led to the synthesis of a 56 all-carbon conjugated tetrabenzoperipentacene. In the single-crystal X-ray structure, three molecules make a triple-layered cluster by π-stacking, wherein each layer rotates by 120°, and is thus considered a petit β-graphite. As for the optical properties, the Stokes shift is extremely small (10 cm(-1) ), thus indicating its remarkably rigid framework. The tetrabenzoperipentacene exhibits reversible five-electron oxidation waves in cyclic voltammetry, and is regarded as a counterpart to the fullerene C60 in terms of stable multicharge-storage nanocarbon materials.

Photoprecursor approach as an effective means for preparing multilayer organic semiconducting thin films by solution processes

The vertical composition profile of active layer has a major effect on the performance of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). While stepwise deposition of different materials is a conceptually straightforward method for controlled preparation of multi-component active layers, it is practically challenging for solution processes because of dissolution of the lower layer. Herein, we overcome this difficulty by employing the photoprecursor approach, in which a soluble photoprecursor is solution-deposited then photoconverted in situ to a poorly soluble organic semiconductor. This approach enables solution-processing of the p-i-n triple-layer architecture that has been suggested to be effective in obtaining efficient OPVs. We show that, when 2,6-dithienylanthracene and a fullerene derivative PC71BM are used as donor and acceptor, respectively, the best p-i-n OPV affords a higher photovoltaic efficiency than the corresponding p-n device by 24% and bulk-heterojunction device by 67%. The photoprecursor approach is also applied to preparation of three-component p-i-n films containing another donor 2,6-bis(5′-(2-ethylhexyl)-(2,2′-bithiophen)-5-yl)anthracene in the i-layer to provide a nearly doubled efficiency as compared to the original two-component p-i-n system. These results indicate that the present approach can serve as an effective means for controlled preparation of well-performing multi-component active layers in OPVs and related organic electronic devices.

Directing the Crystallization of Dehydro[24]annulenes into Supramolecular Nanotubular Scaffolds.

The self-assembly of a series of dehydro[24]annulene derivatives into columnar stacks has been examined for its latent ability to form π-conjugated carbon-rich nanotubular structures through topochemical polymerizations. We have studied the parameters affecting self-assembly, including the nature of the substituent and crystallization conditions, using 10 different dehydro[24]annulene derivatives. In particular, hydrogen-bonding interactions through carbamate groups were found to be especially useful at directing the formation of nanotubular supramolecular assemblies. We have also evaluated the electronic coupling between neighboring dehydroannulene molecules within these supramolecular assemblies. Density functional calculations on the stacked supramolecular nanotube assemblies show that transfer integrals vary considerably between the three columnar assemblies, ranging from moderate to high (59-98 meV for the highest occupied molecular orbitals, 63-97 meV for the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals), depending on the local molecular topology. In addition, the dehydro[24]annulene derivatives afforded distinct architectures in the crystal, including nanochannel arrays, sheets with solvent-filled pores, and lamellae. This work is an essential step toward a controlled formation of covalently linked carbon-rich nanostructures generated from molecular precursors with a latent diacetylene reactivity.

An Optically and Thermally Switchable Electronic Structure Based on an Anthracene–BODIPY Conjugate

An optically and thermally responsive boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dye, namely, meso-2-(9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracene-11,12-dione) (DK)-linked, bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene (BCOD)-fused BODIPY (BCOD-DK), was synthesized. The weakly luminous structure of BCOD-DK can be changed quantitatively to that of the strongly fluorescent BODIPY BCOD-Ant by optical excitation at the DK unit, which induces double decarbonylation of the DK unit to give an anthracene unit. The solvent effect on the fluorescence properties of BCOD-DK suggests that the dramatic change in fluorescence intensity is controlled by intramolecular electron transfer from the BODIPY moiety to the meso-DK substituent. BCOD-DK is converted to meso-DK benzene-fused BODIPY (Benzo-DK) by heating at 220 °C with 64-70 nm redshift of absorption and fluorescence peaks without changing the fluorescence quantum yield of ΦF =0.08 in dichloromethane. Benzo-DK can be converted to strongly fluorescent meso-anthracene benzene-fused BODIPY Benzo-Ant by optical excitation. Thus, BCOD-DK can show four different optical performances simply by irradiation and heating, and hence may be applicable for optical data storage and security data encryption.

Synthesis and Electrochemical Properties of Porphycene–Diketopyrrolopyrrole Conjugates

The selective iodination of 2,7,12,17-tetrahexylporphycene 1 was successfully accomplished by using N-iodosuccinimide in the presence of activators to give 3-iodoporphycene 2 and 3,13-diiodoporphycene 3a. These iodinated porphycenes can be used as the substrates for palladium-catalyzed coupling to prepare porphycene-diketopyrrolopyrrole conjugates in two steps. The connection of the diketopyrrolopyrrole units to porphycenes broadened their absorption spectra and increased the intensity of the Q-bands due to the electronic interactions between the porphycene and diketopyrrolopyrrole moieties.

Solution-processed anthradithiophene-PCBM p-n junction photovoltaic cells fabricated by using the photoprecursor method.

P-n junction solar cells based on anthradithiophene (ADT) as a p-type semiconductor were fabricated by using the photoprecursor method in which an α-diketone-type precursor was spin-coated and then transformed to ADT in situ by photoirradiation. Combination with PC71BM as an n-layer material led to 1.54% photoconversion efficiency.

High-fidelity self-assembly pathways for hydrogen-bonding molecular semiconductors

The design of molecular systems with high-fidelity self-assembly pathways that include several levels of hierarchy is of primary importance for the understanding of structure-function relationships, as well as for controlling the functionality of organic materials. Reported herein is a high-fidelity self-assembly system that comprises two hydrogen-bonding molecular semiconductors with regioisomerically attached short alkyl chains. Despite the availability of both discrete cyclic and polymeric linear hydrogen-bonding motifs, the two regioisomers select one of the two motifs in homogeneous solution as well as at the 2D-confined liquid-solid interface. This selectivity arises from the high directionality of the involved hydrogen-bonding interactions, which renders rerouting to other self-assembly pathways difficult. In thin films and in the bulk, the resulting hydrogen-bonded assemblies further organize into the expected columnar and lamellar higher-order architectures via solution processing. The contrasting organized structures of these regioisomers are reflected in their notably different miscibility with soluble fullerene derivatives in the solid state. Thus, electron donor-acceptor blend films deliver a distinctly different photovoltaic performance, despite their virtually identical intrinsic optoelectronic properties. Currently, we attribute this high-fidelity control via self-assembly pathways to the molecular design of these supramolecular semiconductors, which lacks structure-determining long aliphatic chains.

Evaluation of semiconducting molecular thin films solution-processed via the photoprecursor approach: the case of hexyl-substituted thienoanthracenes

Organic electronic devices are expected to be easily scalable and highly cost-effective, presuming the good solution processability of high-performance organic semiconductors. However, there are cases where an organic compound with promising semiconducting properties lacks adequate processability and does not form well-performing thin films through conventional solution-based deposition techniques. The photoprecursor approach, in which a soluble photoprecursor is solution-deposited on a substrate and then converted to a target material by in situ photoreaction, can be an effective means to evade such a problem. Herein, we describe a comparative evaluation of thin films deposited by three different methods; i.e., vacuum deposition, photoprecursor approach, and direct spin coating. Two highly crystalline molecular semiconductors, hexyl-substituted anthra[1,2-b:4,3-b′:5,6-b′′:8,7-b′′′]tetrathiophene (C6-ATT) and anthra[1,2-b:5,6-b′]dithiophene (or bent anthradithiophene, C6-BADT), are employed in this study along with the corresponding newly synthesized α-diketone-type photoprecursors. In the case of C6-ATT, thin films prepared through the photoprecursor approach are as good as those obtained by vacuum deposition in terms of surface smoothness and space-charge-limited-current (SCLC) mobility, while direct spin coating affords highly inhomogeneous films. For C6-BADT, on the other hand, employment of the photoprecursor approach is not as effective, albeit it is still advantageous as compared to direct spin coating. These results highlight the power and limitations of the photoprecursor approach, and will serve as a basis for the preparation of practically useful organic devices through this unique approach.

Side-chain engineering in a thermal precursor approach for efficient photocurrent generation

An ideal active-layer compound for bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) can assemble upon deposition to form the effective π–π stacking that facilitates exciton diffusion and charge-carrier transport. It is also expected to possess high-enough miscibility for forming sufficient heterojunctions to ensure efficient charge separation. However, these characteristics are often not compatible in organic small-molecule semiconductors: compounds endowed with rich self-π–π interaction capacity tend to be poor in miscibility, or maybe even insoluble in extreme cases. Herein, we postulate that a thermal precursor approach can serve as a way out of this dilemma, provided that molecules are properly engineered. This work evaluates a series of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)–tetrabenzoporphyrin (BP) conjugates named Cn-DPP–BP (n = 4, 6, 8 or 10 depending on the length of alkyl groups on the DPP unit) as a p-type material in BHJ OPVs. These compounds are strongly aggregating and insoluble, thus processed via the thermal precursor approach in which the corresponding soluble derivatives (Cn-DPP–CP) are solution-processed into thin films and then converted to the target materials by in situ thermal reactions. The comparative study shows that the short-circuit current density largely depends on the length of alkyl substituents, ranging from 0.88 mA cm−2 with C10-DPP–BP to 15.2 mA cm−2 with C4-DPP–BP. Investigation into the structure of active layers through fluorescence-decay analysis, atomic-force microscopy, and two-dimensional grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray diffractometry indicates that the introduction of shorter alkyl chains positively affects the miscibility and molecular orientation in BHJ layers. This trend is not fully parallel to those observed in the BHJ systems prepared through conventional solution techniques, and will provide a unique basis for devising a new class of high-performance OPV materials.