We report an investigation of structure and photophysics of thin layers of cibalackrot, a sturdy

A new generation of rod-shaped dipolar molecular rotors designed for controlled insertion into channel arrays in the surface of hexagonal tris(o-phenylenedioxy)cyclotriphosphazene (TPP) has been designed and synthesized. Triptycene is used as a stopper intended to prevent complete insertion, forcing the formation of a surface inclusion. Two widely separated (13)C NMR markers are present in the shaft for monitoring the degree of insertion. The structure of the two-dimensional rotor arrays contained in these surface inclusions was examined by solid-state NMR and X-ray powder diffraction. The NMR markers and the triptycene stopper functioned as designed, but half of the guest molecules were not inserted as deeply into the TPP channels as the other half. As a result, the dipolar rotators were distributed equally in two planes parallel to the crystal surface instead of being located in a single plane as would be required for ferroelectricity. Dielectric spectroscopy revealed rotational barriers of ∼4 kcal/mol but no ferroelectric behavior.

Investigations of singlet fission have accelerated recently because of its potential utility in solar photoconversion, although only a few reports definitively identify the role of singlet fission in a complete solar cell. Evidence of the influence of singlet fission in a dye-sensitized solar cell using 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPIBF, 1) as the sensitizer is reported here. Self-assembly of the blue-absorbing 1 with co-adsorbed oxidation products on mesoporous TiO2 yields a cell with a peak internal quantum efficiency of ∼70% and a power conversion efficiency of ∼1.1%. Introducing a ZrO2 spacer layer of thickness varying from 2 to 20 Å modulates the short-circuit photocurrent such that it is initially reduced as thickness increases but 1 with 10-15 Å of added ZrO2. This rise can be explained as being due to a reduced rate of injection of electrons from the S1 state of 1 such that singlet fission, known to occur with a 30 ps time constant in polycrystalline films, has the opportunity to proceed efficiently and produce two T1 states per absorbed photon that can subsequently inject electrons into TiO2. Transient spectroscopy and kinetic simulations confirm this novel mode of dye-sensitized solar cell operation and its potential utility for enhanced solar photoconversion.

We describe the preparation and excited state dynamics of three alkyl derivatives of 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (1) in both solutions and thin films. The substitutions are intended to disrupt the slip-stacked packing observed in crystals of 1 while maintaining the favorable energies of singlet and triplet for singlet fission (SF). All substitutions result in films that are largely amorphous as judged by the absence of strong X-ray diffraction peaks. The films of 1 carrying a methyl in the para position of one phenyl ring undergo SF relatively efficiently (≥75% triplet yield, Φ) but more slowly than thin films of 1. When the methyl is replaced with a t-butyl, kinetic competition in the excited state favors excimer formation rather than SF (Φ = 55%). When t-Bu groups are placed in both meta positions of the phenyl substituent, SF is slowed further and Φ = 35%.

A kinetically stable self-assembled redox-active triangle is isolated. The resulting electron-donating cavity, which incorporates three BPTTF units, exhibits a remarkable binding ability for electron-deficient C(60), supported by a favorable combination of structural and electronic features.

A new class of rod‐shaped strongly dipolar molecular rotors for insertion into channels of hexagonal tris(o‐phenylenedioxy)cyclotriphosphazene (TPP) has been examined. Seven different 3,6‐disubstituted pyridazines and one singly 3‐substituted system have been prepared and studied by solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X‐ray powder diffraction, and dielectric spectroscopy. NMR and X‐ray diffraction both show that all but one of these molecular rotors form hexagonal bulk inclusion compounds with TPP. In‐plane lattice parameters for the hexagonal phases increase with the size of the end group, which also controls the energy barriers for rotation of the pyridazine dipole. The barriers range from ≈4 kcal mol−1 for small or flexible end groups to less than 0.7 kcal mol−1 for 3‐methylbicyclo[1.1.1]pent‐1‐yl end groups after annealing to 235 °C, and an interpretation of these differences is offered. Computer modeling of the relaxed TPP channels followed by density functional calculation of the environment for one of the rotors provides quantitative agreement with the observed barrier. The systems with the lowest rotational barriers show signs of collective behavior, discussed in terms of antiferroelectric intrachannel and ferroelectric interchannel dipole–dipole interactions. A Curie temperature of 22 K is deduced for 3,6‐diadamant‐1′‐ylpyridazine, but no ordered dielectric phases are found. Conclusions have been drawn for improved rotor design.

Regular two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrays of mutually interacting dipolar molecular rotors represent a worthy synthetic objective. Their dielectric properties, including possible collective behavior, will be a sensitive function of the location of the rotors, the orientation of their axes, and the size of their dipoles. Host-guest chemistry is one possible approach to gaining fine control over these factors. We describe the progress that has been achieved in recent years using tris (o-phenylenedioxy)cyclotriphosphazene as a host and a series of rod-shaped dipolar molecular rotors as guests. Structures of both surface and bulk inclusion compounds have been established primarily by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Low-temperature dielectric spectroscopy revealed rotational barriers as low as 1.5 kcal/mol, but no definitive evidence for collective behavior has been obtained so far.

In situ grazing-incidence X-ray scattering shows that a monolayer of artificial rod-shaped dipolar molecular rotors produced on the surface of an aqueous subphase in a Langmuir trough has a structure conducive to a 2D ferroelectric phase. The axes of the rotors stand an average of 0.83 nm apart in a triangular grid, perpendicular to the surface within experimental error. They carry 2,3-dichlorophenylene rotators near rod centers, between two decks of interlocked triptycenes installed axially on the rotor axle. The analysis is based first on simultaneous fitting of observed Bragg rods and second on fitting the reflectivity curve with only three adjustable parameters and the calculated rotor electron density, which also revealed the presence of about seven molecules of water near each rotator. Dependent on preparation conditions, a minor and variable amount of a different crystal phase may also be present in the monolayer.grazing-incidence X-ray scattering | X-ray reflectivity | molecular rotors | aqueous-surface monolayer | synchrotron radiation W e have been examining 2D assemblies of dipolar molecular rotors in an effort to detect collective behavior (1). Ultimately, we hope to produce an artificial 2D ferroelectric phase of dipolar azimuthal molecular rotors located on a flat electrical insulator, both for fundamental investigations and for its possible applications in nanoscience.To meet this goal, theory (2) suggests that the rotors should be assembled in a trigonal lattice. The surface assembly is expected to be ferroelectric between the Debye temperature T D , below which rotational barriers prevent the rotors from turning, and the Curie temperature T C , above which thermal disorder dominates. The former condition calls for small rotational barriers, no higher than 1-2 kcal/mol [in 3D assemblies, rotational barriers as low as 0.7 kcal/mol have been achieved (3)]. The latter condition requires large rotatable dipoles μ spaced a small distance a apart, since T C is expected to be proportional to μ 2 /a 3 . After dealing with surface inclusions, in which molecular rotors were contained on the surface of a host crystal, and detecting ferroelectric interactions but no ferroelectric phase in bulk inclusions (4), we are now also exploring monolayers produced on aqueous surfaces using a Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) trough (5) and molecular rotors designed to assemble into a trigonal lattice (6). The hope is that the rotor axes will be perpendicular to the surface and separated by a small lattice constant (a < 1 nm) and that large monocrystalline domains can be produced. Ultimately, a monolayer of a suitable structure is to be transferred from the aqueous surface to a solid substrate for further study, possibly only after cross-linking for increased sturdiness.Many organic materials pack closely at the air-water interface. Their unit cells tend to be tilted and distorted (7-19), but some nearly perfectly straight structures have also been observed (20). We were inspired by close-packed LB films of fatty acids, which hav...