Nonplanar push-pull chromophores for opto-electronic applications.
Donor-substituted cyanoethynylethenes (CEEs) are planar push-pull chromophores featuring intense intramolecular charge-transfer (CT) interactions and high third-order optical nonlinearities. Their thermal stability allows for the formation of crystalline thin films by vapor-phase deposition. On the other hand, high-quality amorphous thin films are preferred for opto-electronic applications and such films can be prepared using nonplanar push-pull chromophores with a less pronounced propensity to crystallize. By taking advantage of a versatile, atom-economic 'click-chemistry'-type transformation, involving a formal [2 + 2] cycloaddition of tetracyanoethene (TCNE) to electron-rich alkynes, followed by cycloreversion, stable donor-substituted 1,1,4,4-tetracyanobuta-1,3-dienes (TCBDs) are obtained in high yield and large quantities. These nonplanar push-pull chromophores also feature intense intramolecular CT and, in many cases, high third-order optical nonlinearities. Some of these compounds form high-optical-quality amorphous thin films by vapor-phase deposition, and first applications in next-generation opto-electronic devices have already been demonstrated. Chiral derivatives display high helical twisting power and are efficient dopants to translate molecular into macroscopic chirality, by switching nematic into cholesteric liquid crystalline phases.
Laboratorium für Organische Chemie der Eidgenössischen Technischen Hochschule Hönggerberg, HCI CH-8093 Zürich.
Benjamin
B
Breiten
Ivan
I
Biaggio
François
F
Diederich
D004563:Electrochemistry; D004581:Electronics; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D050866:Liquid Crystals; D036103:Nanotechnology; D009570:Nitriles / Q000737:chemistry*; D055620:Optical Phenomena
D005030:Ethylenes; D009570:Nitriles; C522038:tetracyanoethene