Mohammed K. Al-Suti

Large magnetoresistance in nonmagnetic π-conjugated semiconductor thin film devices

Following the recent observation of large magnetoresistance at room temperature in polyfluorene sandwich devices, we have performed a comprehensive magnetoresistance study on a set of organic semiconductor sandwich devices made from different pi-conjugated polymers and small molecules. The study includes a range of materials that show greatly different chemical structure, mobility, and spin-orbit coupling strength. We study both hole and electron transporters at temperatures ranging from 10 K to 300 K. We observe large negative or positive magnetoresistance (up to 10% at 300 K and 10 mT) depending on material and device operating conditions. We discuss our results in the framework of known magnetoresistance mechanisms and find that none of the existing models can explain our results.

Triplet states in a series of Pt-containing ethynylenes

By use of optical steady state and time resolved spectroscopy, we studied the evolution of the triplet excited state in a series of six ethynylenic polymers of the structure [-Pt(PBu3n)2-C≡C-R-C≡C-]n where the spacer unit R is systematically varied to give optical gaps from 1.7–3.0 eV. The inclusion of platinum in the polymer backbone induces a strong spin-orbit coupling such that triplet state emission (phosphorescence) associated with the conjugated system can be detected. Throughout the series we find the S1-T1 (singlet-triplet) energy splitting to be independent of the spacer R, such that the T1 state is always 0.7±0.1 eV below the S1 state. With decreasing optical gap, the intensity and lifetime of the triplet state emission were seen to reduce in accordance with the energy gap law.

The singlet–triplet energy gap in organic and Pt-containing phenylene ethynylene polymers and monomers

We have studied the evolution of the T1 triplet excited state in an extensive series of phenylene ethynylene polymers and monomers with platinum atoms in the polymer backbone and in an analogous series of all-organic polymers with the platinum(II) tributylphosphonium complex replaced by phenylene. The inclusion of platinum increases spin–orbit coupling so T1 state emission (phosphorescence) is easier to detect. For both, the platinum-containing polymer series and for the all-organic polymers, we find the T1 state to be at a constant separation of 0.7±0.1 eV below the singlet S1 state. It is not possible to change this singlet–triplet splitting by altering the size or the charge-transfer character of the polymer repeat unit or by changing the electron delocalization along the polymer backbone. The S1–T1 gap can be increased by confining the S1 state in oligomers and monomers.

Synthesis, characterisation and optical spectroscopy of diynes and poly-ynes containing derivatised fluorenes in the backbone

A series of trimethylsilyl-protected and terminal mono- and bis-alkynes based on 9,9-dioctylfluorene, 2-(trimethylsilylethynyl)-9,9-dioctylfluorene 1a, 2-ethynyl-9,9-dioctylfluorene 1b, 2,7-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)-9,9-dioctylfluorene 2a, 2,7-bis(ethynyl)-9,9-dioctylfluorene 2b, have been synthesised. Reaction of trans-[(PnBu3)2PtCl2] with 2 equivalents of the terminal ethyne 1b yields the mononuclear platinum(II) diyne 3, reaction of trans-[(Ph)(Et3P)2PtCl] with 0.5 equivalents of the diterminal ethyne 2b gives the dinuclear platinum(II) diyne 4 while 1 ∶ 1 reaction between trans-[(PnBu3)2PtCl2] and 2b gives the platinum(II) poly-yne 5. Treatment of 2,5-dioctyloxy-1,4-diiodobenzene with 1b in 1 ∶ 2 stoichiometry produces the organic di-yne 6 while 1 ∶ 1 reaction between 2,5-dioctyloxy-1,4-diiodobenzene and 2b, 2,7-bis(ethynyl)fluorene or 2,7-bis(ethynyl)fluoren-9-one produces the organic co-poly-ynes 7–9. All the new materials have been characterised by analytical and spectroscopic methods and the single crystal X-ray structures of 2a and 3 have been determined. The diynes and poly-ynes are soluble in organic solvents and are readily cast into thin films. Optical spectroscopic measurements reveal that the attachment of octyl side-chains on the fluorenyl spacer reduces inter-chain interaction in the poly-ynes while a fluorenonyl spacer creates a donor–acceptor interaction along the rigid backbone of the organometallic poly-ynes and organic co-poly-ynes.

Synthesis, characterisation and optical spectroscopy of platinum(II) di-ynes and poly-ynes incorporating condensed aromatic spacers in the backbone

A series of protected and terminal dialkynes with extended pi-conjugation through a condensed aromatic linker unit in the backbone, 1,4-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)naphthalene, 1,4-bis(ethynyl)naphthalene, 9,10-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)anthracene, 9,10-bis(ethynyl)anthracene, have been synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. The solid-state structures of and have been confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Reaction of two equivalents of the complex trans-[Ph(Et(3)P)(2)PtCl] with an equivalent of the terminal dialkynes 1,4-bis(ethynyl)benzene and, in (i)Pr(2)NH-CH(2)Cl(2), in the presence of CuI, at room temperature, afforded the platinum(II) di-ynes trans-[Ph(Et(3)P)(2)Pt-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-R-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-Pt(PEt(3))(2)Ph](R = benzene-1,4-diyl; naphthalene-1,4-diyl and anthracene-9,10-diyl ) while reactions between equimolar quantities of trans-[((n)Bu(3)P)(2)PtCl(2)] and under similar conditions readily afforded the platinum(II) poly-ynes trans-[-((n)Bu(3)P)(2)Pt-C[triple bond]C-R-C[triple bond]C-](n)(R = naphthalene-1,4-diyl and anthracene-9,10-diyl ). The Pt(II) diynes and poly-ynes have been characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods, and the single crystal X-ray structures of and have been determined. These structures confirm the trans-square planar geometry at the platinum centres and the linear nature of the molecules. The di-ynes and poly-ynes are soluble in organic solvents and readily cast into thin films. Optical spectroscopic measurements reveal that the electron-rich naphthalene and anthracene spacers create strong donor-acceptor interactions between the Pt(II) centres and conjugated ligands along the rigid backbone of the organometallic polymers. Thermogravimetry shows that the di-ynes possess a somewhat higher thermal stability than the corresponding poly-ynes. Both the Pt(II) di-ynes and the poly-ynes exhibit increasing thermal stability along the series of spacers from phenylene through naphthalene to anthracene.

Synthesis and characterisation of new acetylide-functionalised aromatic and hetero-aromatic ligands and their dinuclear platinum complexes

A new series of rigid rod protected and terminal dialkynes with extended π-conjugation through aromatic and hetero-aromatic linker units in the backbone, 2,5-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)-1-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-4-methoxybenzene 1a, 2,5-bis(ethynyl)-1-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-4-methoxybenzene 1b, 5,8-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)quinoline 2a, 5,8-bis(ethynyl)quinoline 2b, 2,3-diphenyl-5,8-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)quinoxaline 3a, 2,3-diphenyl-5,8-bis(ethynyl)quinoxaline 3b, 4,7-bis(trimethysilylethynyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole 4a and 4,7-bis(ethynyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole 4b, has been synthesised. Treatment of the complex trans-[Pt(Ph)(Cl)(Et3P)2] with half an equivalent of the diterminal alkynes 1b–4b in iPr2NH–CH2Cl2, in the presence of CuI, at room temperature, afforded the platinum(II) di-yne complexes trans-[(Et3P)2(Ph)Pt–CC–R–CC–Pt(Ph)(Et3P)2] [R = 1-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-4-methoxybenzene-2,5-diyl 1c, quninoline-5,8-diyl 2c, 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline-5,8-diyl 3c, 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl 4c] in good yields. The new acetylide-functionalised ligands and the platinum(II) σ-acetylide complexes have been characterised by analytical and spectroscopic methods and X-ray single crystal structure determinations for 2c–4c. The absorption spectra of the complexes 2c–4c show substantial donor–acceptor interaction between the platinum(II) centres and the conjugated ligands. The photoluminescence spectra of 1c–3c show characteristic singlet (S1) and triplet (T1) emissions. Both the singlet and triplet emissions as well as the absorption decrease in energy with increasing electronegativity of the spacer groups along the series 1c–4c.

Synthesis and optical characterisation of platinum(ii) poly-yne polymers incorporating substituted 1,4-diethynylbenzene derivatives and an investigation of the intermolecular interactions in the diethynylbenzene molecular precursorsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: atomic cooordinates for 6 and 7. See http://www.rsc.org/suppdata/nj/b2/b206946f/

A series of 1,4-diethynylbenzene (1) derivatives, H–CC–R–CC–H with R=C6H3NH2 (2), C6H3F (3), C6H2F2-2,5 (4), C6F4 (5), C6H2(OCH3)2-2,5 (6) and C6H2(OnC8H17)2-2,5 (7) has been synthesised and their crystal structures determined by single crystal (2–5) or powder (6, 7) X-ray diffraction. The CCH⋯πCC hydrogen bonds dominating structure 1 are gradually replaced by CC–H⋯F ones with the increase of fluorination (3→5), or completely replaced by CCH⋯N and NH⋯πCC bonds in 2, and CCH⋯O in 6 and 7. The related platinum-based polymers, trans-[–Pt(PnBu3)2–CC–R–CC–]n (R=as above and C6H4,) have been prepared and characterised by spectroscopic methods and thermogravimetry, which show that the amino- and methoxy-derivatives have lowest thermal stability while the fluorinated ones exhibit increasing thermal stability with increasing fluorination. Optical spectroscopic measurements reveal that substituents on the aromatic spacer group do not create strong donor–acceptor interactions along the rigid backbone of the organometallic polymers.

Long-range intramolecular electronic communication in bis(ferrocenylethynyl) complexes incorporating conjugated heterocyclic spacers:Synthesis, crystallography, and electrochemistry

A new series of bis(ferrocenylethynyl) complexes, 3-7, and a mono(ferrocenylethynyl) complex, 8, have been synthesized incorporating conjugated heterocyclic spacer groups, with the ethynyl group facilitating an effective long-range intramolecular interaction. The complexes were characterized by NMR, IR, and UV-vis spectroscopy as well as X-ray crystallography. The redox properties of these complexes were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemistry. Although there is a large separation of ∼14 Å between the two redox centers, ΔE(1/2) values in this series of complexes ranged from 50 to 110 mV. The appearance of intervalance charge-transfer bands in the UV-vis-near-IR region for the monocationic complexes further confirmed effective intramolecular electronic communication. Computational studies are presented that show the degree of delocalization across the Fc-C≡C-C≡C-Fc (Fc = C5H5FeC5H4) highest occupied molecular orbital.

The role of C-H and C-C stretching modes in the intrinsic non-radiative decay of triplet states in a Pt-containing conjugated phenylene ethynylene

The intrinsic non-radiative decay (internal conversion) from the triplet excited state in phosphorescent dyes can be described by a multi-phonon emission process. Since non-radiative decay of triplet excitons can be a significant process in organic light-emitting diodes, a detailed understanding of this decay mechanism is important if the overall device efficiency is to be controlled. We compare a deuterated Pt(II)-containing phenylene ethynylene with its non-deuterated counterpart in order to investigate which phonon modes control to the non-radiative decay path. We observe that deuteration does not decrease the non-radiative decay rate. A Franck-Condon analysis of the phosphorescence spectra shows that the electronic excitation is coupled strongly to the breathing mode of the phenyl ring and the C≡C carbon stretching modes, while high-energy C-H or C-D stretching modes play an insignificant role. We, therefore, associate the internal conversion process with the carbon-carbon stretching vibrations.

Structural characterisation of a series of acetylide-functionalised oligopyridines and the synthesis, characterisation and optical spectroscopy of platinum di-ynes and poly-ynes containing oligopyridyl linker groups in the backbone

A series of trimethylsilyl-protected bis(ethynyl)oligopyridine derivatives Me3SiCC–R–CC–SiMe3 (R = 2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-diyl (1a), 2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-diyl (2a), 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine-6,6″-diyl (3a), 4′-phenyl-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine-6,6″-diyl (4a)) has been synthesised and 2a–4a have been characterised by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The corresponding terminal di-ynes H–CC–R–CCH (1b–4b) and their dinuclear platinum(II) complexes trans-[(Et3P)2(Ph)Pt–CC–R–CC–Pt(Ph)(Et3P)2] (1M–4M) have been characterised spectroscopically and by single-crystal X-ray crystallography for 2M. Novel platinum(II) poly-yne polymers trans-[Pt(PBun3)2–CC–R–CC–]n (1P–4P) containing the oligopyridyl linker groups in the backbone have been synthesised by the CuI-catalysed dehydrohalogenation polycondensation reaction of 1b–4b and trans-[(Bu3P)2PtCl2] in Pri2NH–CH2Cl2. The polymeric materials exhibit decreasing thermal stability with increasing number of pyridine units in the linker group. In the absorption and phosphorescence spectra, the platinum(II) poly-yne and di-yne complexes 1P, 1M show red shifts whereas the complexes 2P–3P, 2M–3M show blue shifts of the S1 and T1 states. At room temperature, the phosphoresence spectra indicate some excimer formation whereas at 10 K, only intra-chain emission occurs. The results of the photophysical studies are compared with those obtained for other platinum(II)-containing poly-ynes and related organometallic polymers.