The design, synthesis, and characterization of new high-performance n-channel molecular/polymeric semiconductors that are solution-processable and air-stable is of great interest for the development of p-n junctions, bipolar transistors, and organic complementary circuitry (CMOS). While over the past two decades there have been many reports on n-channel materials, solution-processability and air-stability still remain as major challenges. We report here the synthesis and detailed characterization of a highly electron-deficient class of indeno[1,2-b]fluorene-6,12-dione, 2,2'-(indeno[1,2-b]fluorene-6,12-diylidene) dimalononitrile, bisindenofluorene-12,15-dione, and 2,2'-(bisindenofluorene-12,15-diylidene) dimalononitrile-based ladder-type building blocks (1-12) and their corresponding homo- and copolymers (P1-P14), and examine in detail the effects of core size, thiophene vs core regiochemistry, carbonyl vs dicyanovinylene functionality, and alkyl chain orientation on the physicochemical properties, thin film microstructures, and OFET device performance. New compounds are characterized by DSC, TGA, melting point, single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), solution/thin film optical, PL, and cyclic voltammetry measurements to evaluate frontier molecular orbital energetics and intermolecular cohesive forces. Thin films are grown by vacuum deposition and spin-coating, and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and AFM. By tuning the HOMO/LUMO energetics of the present materials over a 1.1 eV range, p-type, n-type, or ambipolar charge transport characteristics can be observed, thus identifying the MO energetic windows governing majority carrier polarity and air stability. One of these systems, thiophene-terminated indenofluorenedicyanovinylene 10 exhibits an electron mobility of 0.16 cm(2)/V x s and an I(on)/I(off) ratio of 10(7)-10(8), one of the highest to date for a solution-cast air-stable n-channel semiconductor. Here we also report solution-processed ambipolar films of thiophene-based molecule 12 and copolymers P13 and P14 which exhibit electron and hole mobilities of 1 x 10(-3)-2 x 10(-4) and I(on)/I(off) ratios of approximately 10(4), representing the first examples of molecular and polymeric ambipolar semiconductors to function in air. Analysis of the operational air-stabilities of a series of thin films having different crystallinities, orientations, and morphologies suggests that operational air-stability for thermodynamically predicted (i.e., no kinetic barrier contribution) air-stable semiconductors is principally governed by LUMO energetics with minimal contribution from thin-film microstructure. The onset LUMO energy for carrier electron stabilization is estimated as -4.0 to -4.1 eV, indicating an overpotential of 0.9-1.0 eV. Density functional theory calculations provide detailed insight into molecule/polymer physicochemical and charge transport characteristics.

No abstract

New strategies to access functional monolayers could augment current surface modification methods. Here we present addressable N-heterocyclic carbene (ANHC) anchors for gold surfaces. A suite of experimental and theoretical methods was used to characterize ANHC monolayers. We demonstrate grafting of highly fluorinated polymers from surface-bound ANHCs. This work establishes ANHCs as viable anchors for gold surfaces.

Gels formed via metal–ligand coordination typically have very low branch functionality, f, as they consist of ∼2–3 polymer chains linked to single metal ions that serve as junctions. Thus, these materials are very soft and unable to withstand network defects such as dangling ends and loops. We report here a new class of gels assembled from polymeric ligands and metal-organic cages (MOCs) as junctions. The resulting ‘polyMOC’ gels are precisely tunable and may feature increased branch functionality. We show two examples of such polyMOCs: a gel with a low f based on a M2L4 paddlewheel cluster junction and a compositionally isomeric one of higher f based on a M12L24 cage. The latter features large shear moduli, but also a very large number of elastically inactive loop defects that we subsequently exchanged for functional ligands, with no impact on the gel's shear modulus. Such a ligand substitution is not possible in gels of low f, including the M2L4-based polyMOC.

We describe the parallel, one-pot synthesis of core-photocleavable, poly(norbornene)-co-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) brush-arm star polymers (BASPs) via a route that combines the "graft-through" and "arm-first" methodologies for brush polymer and star polymer synthesis, respectively. In this method, ring-opening metathesis polymerization of a norbornene−PEG macromonomer generates small living brush initiators. Transfer of various amounts of this brush initiator to vials containing a photocleavable bis-norbornene cross-linker yielded a series of water-soluble BASPs with low polydispersities and molecular weights that increased geometrically as a function of the amount of bis-norbornene added. The BASP cores were cleaved upon exposure to UV light; the extent of photo-disassembly depended on the amount of cross-linker. EPR spectroscopy of nitroxide-labeled BASPs was used to probe differences between the BASP core and surface environments. We expect that BASPs will find applications as easy-to-synthesize, stimuli-responsive core−shell nanostructures.

Attachment of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) on the surface of metal nanoparticle (NP) catalysts permits fine-tuning of catalytic activity and product selectivity. Yet, NHC-coated Au NPs have been seldom used in catalysis beyond hydrogenation chemistry. One challenge in this field has been to develop a platform that permits arbitrary ligand modification without having to compromise NP stability toward aggregation or leaching. Herein, we exploit the strategy of supported dendrimer-encapsulated metal clusters (DEMCs) to achieve aggregation-stable yet active heterogeneous Au NP catalysts with NHC ligands. Dendrimers function as aggregation-inhibitors during the NP synthesis, and NHCs, well-known for their strong attachment to the gold surface, provide a handle to modify the stereochemistry, stereoelectronics, and chemical functionality of the NP surface. Indeed, compared to "ligandless" Au NPs which are virtually inactive below 80 °C, the NHC-ligated Au NP catalysts enable a model lactonization reaction to proceed at 20 °C on the same time scale (hours). Based on Eyring analysis, proto-deauration is the turnover-limiting step accelerated by the NHC ligands. Furthermore, the use of chiral NHCs led to asymmetric induction (up to 16% enantiomeric excess) in the lactonization transformations, which demonstrates the potential of supported DEMCs with ancillary ligands in enantioselective catalysis.

Recyclable catalysts, especially those that display selective reactivity, are vital for the development of sustainable chemical processes. Among available catalyst platforms, heterogeneous catalysts are particularly well-disposed toward separation from the reaction mixture via filtration methods, which renders them readily recyclable. Furthermore, heterogeneous catalysts offer numerous handles-some without homogeneous analogues-for performance and selectivity optimization. These handles include nanoparticle size, pore profile of porous supports, surface ligands and interface with oxide supports, and flow rate through a solid catalyst bed. Despite these available handles, however, conventional heterogeneous catalysts are themselves often structurally heterogeneous compared to homogeneous catalysts, which complicates efforts to optimize and expand the scope of their reactivity and selectivity. Ongoing efforts in our laboratories are aimed to address the above challenge by heterogenizing homogeneous catalysts, which can be defined as the modification of homogeneous catalysts to render them in a separable (solid) phase from the starting materials and products. Specifically, we grow the small nanoclusters in dendrimers, a class of uniform polymers with the connectivity of fractal trees and generally radial symmetry. Thanks to their dense multivalency, shape persistence, and structural uniformity, dendrimers have proven to be versatile scaffolds for the synthesis and stabilization of small nanoclusters. Then these dendrimer-encapsulated metal clusters (DEMCs) are adsorbed onto mesoporous silica. Through this method, we have achieved selective transformations that had been challenging to accomplish in a heterogeneous setting, e.g., π-bond activation and aldol reactions. Extensive investigation into the catalytic systems under reaction conditions allowed us to correlate the structural features (e.g., oxidation states) of the catalysts and their activity. Moreover, we have demonstrated that supported DEMCs are also excellent catalysts for typical heterogeneous reactions, including hydrogenation and alkane isomerization. Critically, these investigations also confirmed that the supported DEMCs are heterogeneous and stable against leaching. Catalysts optimization is achieved through the modulation of various parameters. The clusters are oxidized (e.g., with PhICl) or reduced (e.g., with H) in situ. Changing the dendrimer properties (e.g., generation, terminal functional groups) is analogous to ligand modification in homogeneous catalysts, which affect both catalytic activity and selectivity. Similarly, pore size of the support is another factor in determining product distribution. In a flow reactor, the flow rate is adjusted to control the residence time of the starting material and intermediates, and thus the final product selectivity. Our approach to heterogeneous catalysis affords various advantages: (1) the catalyst system can tap into the reactivity typical to homogeneous catalysts, which conventional heterogeneous cata...

Surface passivation has enabled the development of silicon-based solar cells and microelectronics. However, a number of emerging applications require a paradigm shift from passivation to functionalization, wherein surface functionality is installed proximal to the silicon surface. To address this need, we report here the use of persistent aminocarbenes to functionalize hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces via Si-H insertion reactions. Through the use of model compounds (H-Si(TMS)3 and H-Si(OTMS)3), nanoparticles (H-SiNPs), and planar Si(111) wafers (H-Si(111)), we demonstrate that among different classes of persistent carbenes, the more electrophilic and nucleophilic ones, in particular, a cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (CAAC) and an acyclic diaminocarbene (ADAC), are able to undergo insertion into Si-H bonds at the silicon surface, forming persistent C-Si linkages and simultaneously installing amine or aminal functionality in proximity to the surface. The CAAC (6) is particularly notable for its clean insertion reactivity under mild conditions that produces monolayers with 21 ± 3% coverage of Si(111) atop sites, commensurate with the expected maximum of ∼20%. Atomic force and transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray photoelectron, and infrared spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry provided evidence for the surface Si-H insertion process. Furthermore, computational studies shed light on the reaction energetics and indicated that CAAC 6 should be particularly effective at binding to silicon dihydride, trihydride, and coupled monohyride motifs, as well as oxidized surface sites. Our results pave the way for the further development of persistent carbenes as universal ligands for silicon and potentially other nonmetallic substrates.