Synthesis, X-ray Crystal Structures, and Solid-state Fluorescence Properties of Novel 5,5-Dialkyl-9-dibutylamino-5H-benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]furan-6-one and 3,3-Dialkyl-9-dibutylamino-3H-benzo[kl]xanthen-2-one

After publication use "Published in European Journal of Organic Chemistry, Issue 18, 2008, pp. 3085-3094, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Synthesis of a Novel Family of Polysilsesquioxanes Having Oligothiophenes with Well-Defined Structures

Our recent results on the synthesis and properties of a novel family of polysilsesquioxanes having oligothiophenes were reviewed. The polymers anchored on SiO2 or ITO substrates showed excellent mechanical hardness due to the formation of a three-dimensional siloxane network structure and chemical linkage between polymer and the surface of metal-oxide substrates. Optical, electrochemical, and electrical properties of polymers were also investigated

Synthesis, characterization, and photovoltaic applications of dithienogermole-dithienylbenzothiadiazole and -dithienylthiazolothiazole copolymers

New dithienogermole-based conjugated polymers were synthesized by the Stille coupling reactions of distannyldithienogermole and dibromoarene, and their photovoltaic properties were studied. These polymers possess low band gaps with broad absorptions covering the 400-800 nm range, and exhibit good film forming properties. Bulk hetero-junction solar cells prepared from blends of these polymers with PC(70)BM exhibit high power conversion efficiency up to 2.38%

Modification of TiO2 Surface by Disilanylene Polymers and Application to Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The surface modification of inorganic materials with organic units is an important process in device preparation. For the modification of TiO2, organocarboxylic acids (RCO2H) are usually used. Carboxylic acids form ester linkages (RCO2Ti) with hydroxyl groups on the TiO2 surface to attach the organic groups on the surface. However, the esterification liberates water as a byproduct, which may contaminate the surface by affecting TiO2 electronic states. In addition, the ester linkages are usually unstable towards hydrolysis, which causes dye detachment and shortens device lifetime. In this review, we summarize our recent studies of the use of polymers composed of disilanylene and π-conjugated units as new modifiers of the TiO2 surface. The TiO2 electrodes modified by those polymers were applied to dye-sensitized solar cells

Synthesis, Optical and Electrochemical Properties of Benzofuro[2,3-c]carbazoloquinol Fluorescent Dyes

Benzofuro[2,3-c]carbazoloquinol derivatives, a new type of fluorescent dyes, were derived from the corresponding quinone, and their optical and electrochemical properties were investigated by photoabsorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The quinol derivatives in 1,4-dioxane showed the photoabsorption band at around 435 nm (molar extinction coefficient (εmax) = ca. 6000–8000 M−1 cm−1) and the fluorescence band at around 520 nm (fluorescence quantum yield (Φfl) = 0.24–0.28). The CV demonstrated that the quinol derivatives exhibit an irreversible oxidation wave at around −0.28 V versus Fc/Fc+. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of the quinol derivatives which were calculated using DFT at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level are in good agreement with the experimental results

Preparation and Reactions of Dichlorodithienogermoles

The reaction of 3,3′-dilithiobithiophenes with tetrachlorogermane afforded 4,4-dichlorodithienogermoles, which readily underwent substitution on the central germanium atom. Reactions of a dichlorodithienogermole with LiAlH₄, MeLi, Me₂NC₆H₄Li, and C₆F₅MgBr gave the corresponding Ge-substituted products. Dihydrodithienogermole obtained from the reaction with LiAlH₄ was further treated with LDA to give a dimer whose structure was verified by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) study. Hydrolysis of dichlorodithienogermoles provided cyclotetragermoxanes. Their optical properties were examined with respect to the UV absorption and fluorescence spectra. It was found that one of the cyclotetragermoxanes responded to a nitorobenzene vapor in the solid state, decreasing the PL intensity

Optical absorption spectrum of pentacene cation radicals measured by charge-modulation spectroscopy

Charge-modulation spectroscopy was applied to vacuum-sublimed films of pentacene in the metal-insulator-semiconductor configuration with Parylene-C or cross-linked polymer as insulator. The spectrum exhibited several peaks in the wavelength range of 300-800 nm. The signal in the visible was ascribed to the field-modulation effect of a neutral pentacene film, while the three broad peaks in the UV exhibited field and frequency dependences different from those in the visible and were ascribed to the optical absorption due to a monocation radical of pentacene. This assignment was supported by the calculation reported earlier on the basis of the time-dependent density functional theory

Synthesis of a Conjugated D-A Polymer with Bi(disilanobithiophene) as a New Donor Component

A new conjugated donor-acceptor (D-A) polymer pDSBT2-BT containing bi(disilano-bisthiophene) and benzothiadiazole as donor and acceptor units, respectively, was prepared. The polymer showed a broad UV-vis absorption band at λmax = 599 nm in chlorobenzene. The absorption band was shifted to λmax = 629 nm when the polymer was measured as a film, indicating enhanced interchain interactions of the polymer. Bulk hetero-junction polymer solar cells (BHJ-PSCs) were fabricated using pDSBT2-BT and PC71BM as host and guest materials, respectively. Optimization of cell fabrication conditions provided a maximal power conversion efficiency of 3.3% and the following cell parameters: Voc = 0.86 V, Jsc = 7.56 mA/cm2, and FF = 0.51. Although the efficiency still leaves much to be desired, these data underscore the potential of pDSBT2-BT as a high-voltage polymer solar cell material