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A novel and facile method for the Ag-catalyzed regioselective 1,6-hydroarylation of para-quinone methides (p-QMs) with anilines and phenols has been established, and a broad range of anilines (primary secondary, tertiary), phenols and p-QMs are well tolerated.

A simple and efficient method for the silver-catalyzed regioselective phosphorylation of para-quinone methides (p-QMs) with P(III)-nucleophiles (P(OR)3, ArP(OR)2, Ar2P-OR) has been established via Michaelis-Arbuzov-type reaction. A broad range of P(III)-nucleophiles and para-quinone methides are well tolerated under the mild conditions, giving the expected diarylmethyl-substituted organophosphorus compounds with good to excellent yields. Moreover, a series of corresponding enantiomers can be obtained by employing dialkyl arylphosphonite (ArP(OR)2) as substrates. The control experiments and 31P NMR tracking experiments were also performed to gain insights for the plausible reaction mechanism. This protocol may have significant implications for the formation of C(sp3)-P bonds in Michaelis-Arbuzov-type reactions.

A simple and efficient method for the regioselective thiolation of p-quinone methides with sodium aryl/alkyl sulfinates has been established using an acid/phosphine-induced radical route under transition-metal-free conditions. A broad range of sodium aryl/alkyl sulfinates and p-quinone methides (p-QMs) are compatible for the reaction, giving the expected products with good to excellent yields. Control experiments were also performed to gain insights into the generation mechanism of thiyl radicals and hydrogen-atom transfer process. This protocol provides a safe and feasible way for the formation of carbon-sulfur bonds.

A new family of pyrrolyl–acylhydrazones anchored with two BF2 units, named BOAPY, have been developed as BODIPY-like and unsymmetrical bis(BF2) chromophores via a simple one-pot reaction. The easil...

An efficient, cheap and green protocol for the highly regioselective 1,6-hydroarylation of para-quinone methides (p-QMs) with indoles at the C-3 position has been established by phosphoric acid catalysis in water under transition-metal-free reaction conditions. A wide range of indole derivatives and para-quinone methides (p-QMs) are compatible for the reaction, affording the corresponding 1,6-hydroarylation products with good to excellent yields. The possible mechanism of the reaction has been explored through step-by-step control experiments. The protocol is convenient for practical applications, leading to a safe, green and feasible way for the formation of C-3 diarylmethyl functionalized indole derivatives.

A copper-catalyzed diphenylation of P(O)-OH bonds with cyclic diaryliodonium salts is described. Valuable 2'-iodo substituted biaryl phosphinic/phosphoric acid esters were obtained in good to excellent yields, which could be further transformed to diversified building blocks for the synthesis of bioactive compounds, pharmaceuticals and functional materials.

Herein, 26 rhodamine fluorophores were synthesized from readily available Rh-6G and relative amines at room temperature with good selectivity, functional groups compatibility and high yields. We found that one of them 3f showed pH-dependent anticancer bioactivity, with cell viability of 68.4% under pH 6.5 and 83.2% under pH 7.5, LDH fold change of 42.8% under pH 6.5 and 26.4% under pH 7.5 in 22.35 μM in human bladder cancer cell line EJ. Besides, 3f showed anticancer bioactivity in vivo towards human bladder cancer, by triggering apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway.

A new series of soluble, solution-processable metallopolyynes of platinum(II) functionalized with electron-rich phenoxazine–oligothiophene rings and their corresponding dinuclear model complexes were synthesized and characterized. The influence of the inclusion of thienyl rings along the polymer chain on the optical, electronic and photovoltaic properties of these metallopolymers was studied. The evolution of the singlet and triplet excited states in these metal-based materials was elucidated in detail. It is shown that addition of the thiophene rings can elevate the HOMO energy level of the polymers. The absorption edge of the oxygen analogue is more red-shifted than that of the sulfur congener, which is attributed to the stronger electron-donating ability of the phenoxazine unit than that of the phenothiazine group. The down-shifted HOMO level of the phenothiazine-based polymer is found to enhance the photovoltaic performance by increasing the open-circuit voltage of the polymer solar cell relative to the phenoxazine-based congener. At the same donor:acceptor blend ratio of 1:4, the light-harvesting capability and solar cell efficiency notably increase as the thienyl rings are added.

Amphiphilic polymers have attracted extensive research attention in constructing various nanostructures by self-assembly. Here we designed and synthesized two amphiphilic bimetallic polymers with different length of the tails P1 and P2, in which Fe,Pt-containing conjugated complex acted as the hydrophobic block and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was bonded to the bimetallic core as the flexible tails. P1 and P2 were used as the single-source precursors to prepare FePt nanoparticles (NPs) by one-pot pyrolysis. The resultant NPs were fully characterized and had a chemically ordered face-centered tetragonal (fct) phase with high crystallinity. The size of NPs pyrolyzed from P1 and P2 was 24.7 and 8.2 nm with the relative coercivity of 9.6 and 1.3 kOe, respectively. The difference was preliminarily explained by the discrepancy of their degrees of crystallinity, and also analyzed by the precursors’ structural effect. The amphiphilic design showed a good potential in preparing monodisperse ferromagnetic FePt NPs, and the possible favorable properties of self-assembly might provide a bright venue for future magnetic recording media.

Three new solution-processable Pt(II)-containing poly(aryleneethynylene) polymers based on diketopyrrolopyrrole moiety and their corresponding diplatinum model complexes were synthesized via the Sonogashira-type coupling reaction of the platinum(II) chloride precursor and each of the diethynyl ligands. The photophysical, thermal stability, electrochemical, carrier mobility and photovoltaic properties of these polymers were fully investigated. These polymers exhibit strong absorption bands in the range of 550–750 nm, and fluorescent bands between 650 and 850 nm. One thiophene flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole based polymer with linear n-octyl chains shows a better photovoltaic performance than that made from the branched 2-ethylhexyl analogue.

Phase-separated block copolymers (BCPs) that function as precursors to arrays of FePt nanoparticles (NPs) are of potential interest for the creation of media for the next-generation high-density magnetic data storage devices. A series of bimetallic BCPs has been synthesized by incorporating a complex containing Fe and Pt centers into the coordinating block of four different poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine)s (PS-b-P4VPs, P1-P4). To facilitate phase separation for the resulting metalated BCPs (PM1-PM4), a loading of the FePt-bimetallic complex corresponding to ca. 20% was used. The bulk and thin-film self-assembly of these BCPs was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The spherical and cylindrical morphologies observed for the metalated BCPs corresponded to those observed for the metal-free BCPs. The products from the pyrolysis of the BCPs in bulk were also characterized by TEM, powder X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which indicated that the FePt NPs formed exist in an fct phase with average particle sizes of ca. 4-8 nm within a carbonaceous matrix. A comparison of the pyrolysis behavior of the metalated BCP (PM3), the metalated P4VP homopolymer (PM5), and the molecular model organometallic complex revealed the importance of using a nanostructured BCP approach for the synthesis of ferromagnetic FePt NPs with a smaller average NP size and a close to 1:1 Fe/Pt stoichiometric ratio.

Through of the technique route of pre-coordination and post-polymerization and final-blend by program controlling from vinyl-functionalized RGB complex monomers [Eu(TTA)3(UA)](TTA = 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone, UAH= Undecenoic acid), [Tb(2-ABA)3(UA)](2-ABAH = 2-Aminobenzoic acid), [Be (BTZ) (MAA)](BTZ=Benzothiazole, MAA = Methylacrylic acid) with Methyl methacrylate(MMA) to synthesize the monochrome polymers poly(MMA-co-Eu(TTA)3(UA)) (abbr. PMEu), poly(MMA-co-Tb(2-ABA)3(UA)) (abbr. PMTb), poly(MMA-co- Be (BTZ) (MAA)) (abbr. PMBe), and finally obtain the white-light blend-polymer phosphors by program controlling. The monochrome polymers PMEu, PMTb, PMBe have 1.69, 11.53, 10.57 times of the luminescent intensity as RGB complex monomers. The serial blend polymer phosphors have the emission located in the white light region with the CIE coordinates close to the calculated ones running by the program. When the RGB ratio = 1:1.38:0.46, the experiment coordinates are situated at (0.32, 0.33), being close to the theoretical coordinates of (0.33, 0.33), proving that the program controlling can guide the tuning of the chromaticity of the emission color. The LED device was fabricated by the blend polymer phosphor with the RGB ratio of 1:1.38:0.46 matched with the chip of 365 nm wavelength, the color temperature is 6444 K, the color rendering index 84.2, and the luminance 12740 cd/m2 at 3.2 V. This research develops an approach of pre-coordination, post-polymerization and final-blend by program controlling that not only improves the luminescent intensity, but also suppresses the energy transfer, and more importantly achieves the precise adjustment to the white light.

As polymer-based thermoelectric (TE) materials possess attractive features such as light weight, flexibility, low toxicity and ease of processibility, an increasing number of conducting polymers and their composites with high TE performances have been developed in recent years. Up to date, however, the research focusing on the structure-performance relationship remains rare. In this paper, two series of poly(Schiff base)s with either C=C or C≡C linker and their metallopolymers were synthesized and doped with single-walled carbon nanotubes to evaluate how the linking groups affected the TE properties of the resulting composites. Apart from the effect exerted by the morphology, experimental results suggested that the linkers played a key role in determining the band gaps, preferred molecular conformation and extent of conjugation of the polymers, which became key factors that influenced the TE properties of the resulting materials. Additionally, upon coordination with transition metal ions, the TE properties could be tuned readily.

Two wide-bandgap (WBG) conjugated polymers (PBPD-p and PBPD-m) based on phenyl-substituted benzodithiophene (BDT) with the different substitution position of the alkyl side chain and benzodithiophene-4,8-dione (BDD) units are designed and synthesized to investigate the influence of alkyl substitution position on the photovoltaic performance of polymers in polymer solar cells (PSCs). The thermogravimetric analysis, absorption spectroscopy, molecular energy level, X-ray diffraction, charge transport and photovoltaic performance of the polymers are systematically studied. Compared with PBPD-p, PBPD-m exhibits a slight blue-shift but a deeper highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level, a tighter alkyl chain packing and a higher hole mobility. The PBPD-m-based PSCs blended with acceptor IT-4F shows a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.95% with a high open-circuit voltage (Voc ) of 0.88 V, a short-circuit current density (Jsc ) of 19.76 mA cm-2 and a fill factor (FF) of 68.7% when compared with the PCE of 6.97% with a Voc of 0.81 V, a Jsc of 15.97 mA cm-2 and an FF of 53.9% for PBPD-p. These results suggest that it is a feasible and effective strategy to optimize photovoltaic properties of WBG polymers by changing the substitution position of alkyl side chain in PSCs.

International audience; The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the first article on poly merization, published by Hermann Staudinger. It is Staudinger who realized that polymers consist of long chains of covalently linked building blocks. Polymers have had a tremendous impact on the society ever since this initial publication. People live in a world that is almost impossible to imagine without synthetic polymers. But what does the future hold for polymer science? In this article, the editors and advisory board of Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics reflect on this question.

Treatment of [Os3(CO)10(NCMe)2] with an equimolar amount of 4-vinylpyridine, 4-ethynylpyridine and 4-ethylpyridine at room temperature readily gave the cluster complexes [Os3(μ-H)(CO)10(μ-NC5H3CH = CH2)] 1, [Os3(μ-H)(CO)10(μ-NC5H3C≡CH)] 2 and [Os3(CO)10(μ-H)(μ-NC5H3CH2CH3)] 3, respectively. The corresponding ruthenium analogue of 1, [Ru3(μ-H)(CO)10(μ-NC5H3CH = CH2)] 4, was also prepared in good yield by thermal reaction of Ru3(CO)12 with 4-vinylpyridine. Then, five thermally stable polymer-immobilized clusters of osmium 5–9 have been synthesized by the solution copolymerization of triosmium cluster-based monomers 1 and 2 with styrene, methyl methacrylate, vinylferrocene and 4-vinylphenylboronic acid, respectively, in the presence of α,α′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) in chloroform at 60 °C. Characterization of all new compounds was achieved by a combination of FTIR, NMR, MS, GPC, electronic absorption and thermal gravimetric analysis techniques. Crystal structure determinations were also carried out for complexes 1, 3 and 4.

A fundamental, highly fluorescent, and easily accessible scaffold named BOPPY is reported. The use of hydrazine as a bridging linkage between pyrrole and N-heteroarenes enables the binding of two BF2 units to provide sufficient rigidity of the unsymmetric core skeleton. These resultant unsymmetrical BOPPYs are thus highly fluorescent in their solutions and solid powder states and exhibit high molar absorption coefficients (42200–47000 M–1 cm–1), large Stokes shifts, excellent photostability, and insensitivity to pH. More importantly, these BOPPYs showed efficient two-photon absorption in the wide spectral range of 700–900 nm, making them well suited for two-photon fluorescence microscopy imaging in living cells.

The accurate regulation of the size of the ferromagnetic nanoparticle synthesized from the one-pot pyrolysis of metallopolymer is a challenging topic to date. A bimetallic complex TPy-FePd-1 was prepared and used as a single-source precursor to synthesize ferromagnetic FePd nanoparticles (NPs) by one-pot pyrolysis. The resultant FePd NPs have a mean particle size of 19.8 nm and show a coercivity of 1.02 kOe. In addition, the labile ligand NCMe in TPy-FePd-1 was easily substituted by a pyridyl group. A random copolymer PS-P4VP was used to coordinate with TPy-FePd-1, and the as-synthesized metallopolymer made the metal fraction disperse evenly along the flexible chain. Investigation of FePd NPs from the bimetallic polymers with different metal fractions was also made, and the size of the resultant nanoparticles could be easily controlled by tuning the metal fraction in the polymer.

In this study, we report the synthesis and characterization of a new bis(pyridyl)-coordinated platinum(II)-containing metallopolyyne polymer. It is found that this metallopolymer can act as a precursor towards the synthesis of Pt nanoparticles upon pyrolysis (600 °C, 5 h). The resultant nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The results verify that monodisperse Pt nanoparticles with defined morphology can be obtained. This pilot study reveals the potential of fabricating patterned Pt nanoparticles by using various lithographic methods in the future.

A new series of small-molecular ruthenium(II)-diynes trans-Ru(dppe)2(C≡CAr)2 (D1−D4) (dppe = Ph2CH2CH2Ph2; Ar = aromatic moiety) have been successfully designed, synthesized and characterized by photophysical, electrochemical and computational methods, and complexes D1 and D3 were crystallographically characterized. The optical and time-dependent density functional theory studies showed that the absorption ability of these complexes was significantly enhanced by incorporating the stronger electron-donor groups. The effect of different electron-donor groups in these metallo-organic complexes on the optoelectronic and photovoltaic properties was also examined. In this work, benzothiadiazole as the electron acceptor and triphenylamine and/or thiophene as the electron donor were introduced in these complexes, which were found to have optimal energy bandgaps spanning from 1.70 to 1.83 eV and broad absorption bands within 300–700 nm, rendering them good electron donor materials to blend with [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) in the fabrication of the solution-processed bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. The best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.66% was achieved, which is the highest PCE in ruthenium(II)-containing BHJ solar cells to date.

A tetraphenylethene-containing dipyrrin (TPEpy) has been synthesized and its photophysical properties and metal detecting properties have been investigated. TPEpy displays a high selectivity and sensitivity with a detection limit of 8.96 × 10−8 M for Zn2+ in aqueous media.

With respect to the commonly used electron-deficient pyridyl group in the benchmark dopant Ir(ppy)3, incorporating the electron-rich thiazolyl group with different chromophores have not been extensively studied. In this paper, some iridium(III) complexes bearing functional ligands with the thiazolyl moiety were synthesized and characterized by 1H and 13C NMR, UV–Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The emission color of these thiazole-based Ir(III) complexes can be tuned from yellow to red and the best phosphorescent organic light-emitting device exhibited the maximum external quantum efficiency of 11.1%, current efficiency of 35.8 cd/A and power efficiency of 21.9 lm/W.

Encouraged by the high photoluminescence (PL) of the bis-ZnII salphen complexes, a series of coordination polymers have been successfully developed through metal–ligand interactions between the bis-ZnII salphen complexes and functional ditopic ligands. These bis-ZnII salphen coordination polymers can exhibit high thermal stability up to 433 °C. Their PL spectra show an emission maximum peaking at ca. 570 nm in solution and ca. 580 nm in neat films. The PL investigation of the neat films for these bis-ZnII salphen coordination polymers has indicated that the functional ditopic ligands can restrain the molecular packing among the bis-ZnII salphen units for enhancing their PL intensity. Hence, the functional ditopic ligands should exhibit great potential in avoiding exciton quenching in the emission layer formed by these bis-ZnII salphen coordination polymers in polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). Benefiting from such a molecular design, these bis-ZnII salphen coordination polymers can exhibit a peak luminance (Lmax) of 8658 cd m−2, a maximum external quantum efficiency (ηext) of 3.18%, a maximum current efficiency (ηL) of 6.2 cd A−1 and a maximum power efficiency (ηP) of 4.4 lm W−1. These attractive results represent the state-of-the-art EL performances ever achieved by Schiff base ZnII coordination polymers, which would provide significant clues for developing high performance PLEDs based on Schiff base ZnII coordination polymers.

Three host materials based on the carbazole were designed and facilely synthesized, i. e., 9-(6-(9-carbazolyl)hexyl)carbazole (hCP), 9-(4-(2-thiophene-based)phenyl) carbazole (sCP) and 9-(4-(9-carbazolyl)phenyl)carbazole(pCP). The relationships between the structures and photophysical, electrochemical and electrophosphorescent performances were investigated. Their emission peaks are located in UV region and the optical band gap are 3.51, 3.57, and 3.89 eV, respectively. Hence, they can be used as hosts in phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLEDs). The PHOLEDs were fabricated by doping tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium (Ir(ppy)3) in host as light-emitting materials. The maximum current efficiency of the PhOLEDs employed sCP as host was 44.88 cd/A.

A new building block ATVTA that uses stiff carbon-carbon triple bonds (A) on 1,2-di(2-thienyl)-ethene (TVT) has been developed. Oligothiophene derivatives S-01 with a TVT unit, S-02 with a 5,5'-diethynyl-2,2'-dithienyl (AT2) unit and S-03 with ATVTA were synthesized to compare their effects in a systematic study. Due to the better π-conjugation extension of the TVT unit, S-01 exhibits the most red-shifted absorption profile among them, whereas S-02 possesses the deepest HOMO level. While the HOMO level of S-03 is down-shifted by 0.02 eV relative to that of S-01, the alkyne linkages can effectively down-shift the HOMO level. By replacing the terminal units of S-03 with stronger electron acceptors, S-04 and S-05 exhibited broader absorption profiles and lower HOMO levels than those of S-03. Organic solar cells based on these molecules were fabricated and an S-03:PC60 BM (1:1, w/w) based device afforded the highest Voc value of 0.96 V and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.19 %.

Increasing energy demands and environmental concerns about global warming have led to a greater focus on the development of renewable energy sources. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years as they offer the possibility of low-cost conversion of photovoltaic energy. In particular, triarylamine functionalized organic photosensitizers show high molar absorption coefficients in the visible spectral region, good dye aggregation resistance and reliable electrochemical and thermal stabilities. This review emphasizes the recent developments and strategies employed in the structural design of arylamine-based metallated and metal-free organic photosensitizers. The influences of molecular structural engineering on photophysical and electrochemical properties along with photovoltaic parameters and the efficiency of DSSCs are presented. Hence, by drawing a correlation among the structures of arylamine-derived photosensitizers, their properties and photovoltaic parameters of DSSCs, it will be useful in optimizing new dyes for the generation of efficient photovoltaic cells for energy production.

A novel host material, namely 9-(6-(3-phenyl-5-(pyridin-2-yl)-4 H -1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)hexyl)-9 H -carbazole (PPHCZ) was designed and synthesized by incorporating 1, 2, 4-triazol as the electron-withdrawing moiety and carbazole as electron-donating moiety using hexyl as bridge. The photophysical, electrochemical, thermal properties and performances in phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLED) were thoroughly characterized. PPHCZ with a high triplet energy level (3.01 eV) exhibited an obvious intermolecular interaction in thin film. Green and blue PhOLEDs using fac -tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium and iridium(III) bis(4,6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato N,C 2 ′]picolinate as phosphorescent dopants have been fabricated.

Two new iridium(III) cyclometalates (A and B) based on 2-[5-(9,9′-diethyl-9H-fluoren-7-yl)thienyl]-pyridine were synthesized, characterized and applied in bulk-heterojunction solar cells (BHJSCs). Their absorption, electrochemical, thermal and photovoltaic properties have been investigated. The results reveal that the replacement of phenyl ring by thienyl one can extend the absorption wavelength up to 530 nm, thus narrowing the energy gap (Eg) to 2.93 eV and 2.81 eV for A and B, respectively. These complexes exhibit excellent thermal stability with the onset decomposition temperature at 5% weight-loss (Td) of over 370 °C. The BHJSC device with A as donor blended with [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) gave the best power conversion efficiency (η) of 0.51%, with a short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) of 2.68 mA cm−2, an open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) of 0.66 V and a fill factor (ff) of 0.28 under illumination of an AM 1.5 solar cell simulator.

Six new solution processable platinum(II) acetylide donor-acceptor (D-A) triads end-capped by 4,7-di-2-thienyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (DTBT) have been synthesized and characterized by photophysical and electrochemical methods. All these materials possess low bandgaps and strong UV/Vis absorption between 400 and 700 nm. Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells based on these molecules as donor materials were fabricated. The best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.46% with the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.70 V, short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 6.17 mA cm−2 and fill factor (FF) of 0.33 was achieved under illumination of an AM 1.5 solar cell simulator. These results suggest the potential use of solution-processable small molecular platinum(II)-acetylides for efficient generation in organic photovoltaic implementation.

Two bis(acetylide)-functionalized platinum(II) polymers containing ferrocenyl pendant ligands, trans-[{-Pt(PBun3)2-C≡CRC≡C-}n P1 (R = 9-ferrocenylmethylene-2,7-diethynylfluorene) and P2 (R = ferrocenylmethylene-2,5-diethynylbenzene), were prepared in good yields and were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and GPC. Electrochemical characteristics with copolymers P1 and P2 as the cathode active materials for rechargeable lithium batteries showed chemical and electrochemical reversibility. The thin layer polymer electrodes of P1 and P2 exhibited reversible redox peaks at the potentials of 0.54 and 0.64 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively. The P1 or P2/carbon composites are also used as cathode-active materials to enhance the conductivity and durability. The electrodes exhibited good cycle life of over 50 charging/discharging cycles and no reversible n-type redox abilities seemed to be available.

A novel orange fluorescence probe based on efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer from poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-fluorenone] nanoparticles to Rhodamine B dye molecules was developed. This novel probe exhibited a larger Stokes shift, enhanced photostability and longer lifetime comparing to Rhodamine B dye molecules. Meanwhile, it demonstrated the characteristics that especially useful in live cell or in vivo studies, such as narrow full width at half-maximum emission, excitation bands in the visible range and the sensitivity of its fluorescence to temperature. Confocal fluorescence images of the fluorescent probe proved that it could effectively label HeLa cells.

A new bipolar host material based on triphenylamine, fluorene and 1,2-diphenyl-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazole moieties, N , N -diphenyl-4-(9-phenyl-2-(4-(1-phenyl-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazol-2-yl)phenyl)-9 H -fluoren-9-yl)aniline (DPPBIPFA), was designed and synthesized. The as-synthesized material was well characterized by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the material were also studied. The material exhibited an excellent thermal stability ( T d = 475 °C), electrochemical stability and high triplet energy (2.68 eV). A green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode (PhOLED) device based on DPPBIPFA as the host material and Ir(ppy) 3 as the dopant was fabricated, which displayed favorable electrophosphorescent properties with a turn-on voltage of 3.75 V, a maximum brightness of 1685 cd/m 2 and a maximum current efficiency of 4.26 cd/A.

Four new conjugated ferrocene-containing poly(fluorenylethynylene)s (PFcFE1–PFcFE4) with triphenylamine, carbazole or thiophene moieties in the main chain have been designed and synthesized via a Sonogashira coupling reaction. Their structures, molecular weights, optical features, thermal properties and memory performance were well studied. Two terminal single layer devices (ITO/polymer/Al) based on PFcFE1, PFcFE2 and PFcFE3 exhibited flash memory behaviours, while PFcFE4 shared the common characteristics of the “write-once read-many times” (WORM) memory effect. These results would provide a new series of ferrocene-containing conjugated polymers with further opportunities for memory applications.

Bit-patterned media (BPM) with a precise stoichiometry ratio of Fe and Pt atoms are promising for future high areal density magnetic recording. Here, we report a new FePt-containing metallopolymer P as the single-source precursor for the synthesis of magnetic metal alloy nanoparticles. This polymer was synthesized from a random copolymer poly(styrene-4-ethynylstyrene) PES-PS and the bimetallic precursor TPy-FePt ([Pt(4′-ferrocenyl-(N^N^N))Cl]Cl) by the CuI-catalyzed dehydrohalogenation. After pyrolysis of P, the stoichiometry of Fe and Pt atoms in the synthesized nanoparticles is nearly close to 1 : 1, which is more precise than that by using TPy-FePt as the precursor. Also, polymer P is more suitable for patterning by high-throughput nanoimprint lithography (NIL) compared to TPy-FePt. Ferromagnetic nanolines, potentially useful for fabricating bit-patterned magnetic recording media, were successfully obtained from P and fully characterized.

Nonfullerene polymer solar cells (PSCs) are developed based on a fluorinated thienyl-based wide-bandgap (WBG) polymer PBBF as the electron donor and nonfullerene small molecule IDIC as the electron acceptor. PBBF exhibits a strong absorption in the range of 300-605 nm with a wide optical bandgap of 2.05 eV, which is complementary with that of IDIC. Meanwhile, it possesses a deeper highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of -5.52 eV and a higher hole mobility of 7.3 × 10-4 cm2 V-1 s-1 compared to the nonfluorinated polymer PBDTT. The PSCs based on PBBF:IDIC without extra treatment show a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.5% with a V oc of 0.95 V, a J sc of 15.3 mA cm-2 , and an FF of 58.8%, which is much higher than that of the devices based on PBDTT:IDIC (a PCE of 5.3% with a V oc of 0.88 V, a J sc of 13.7 mA cm-2 , and an FF of 43.9%). These results indicate that PBBF is a promising WBG polymer donor material for the photovoltaic applications in nonfullerene PSCs.

A series of heteroleptic functional Ir(III) complexes bearing different fluorinated aromatic sulfonyl groups has been synthesized. Their photophysical features, electrochemical behaviors, and electroluminescent (EL) properties have been characterized in detail. These complexes emit intense yellow phosphorescence with exceptionally high quantum yields (ΦP0.9) at room temperature, and the emission maxima of these complexes can be finely tuned depending upon the number of the fluorine substituents on the pendant phenyl ring of the sulfonyl group. Furthermore, the electrochemical properties and electron injection/transporting (EI/ET) abilities of these Ir(III) phosphors can also be effectively tuned by the fluorinated aromatic sulfonyl group to furnish some desired characters for enhancing the EL performance. Hence, the maximum luminance efficiency (ηL) of 81.2 cd A(-1), corresponding to power efficiency (ηP) of 64.5 lm W(-1) and external quantum efficiency (ηext) of 19.3%, has been achieved, indicating the great potential of these novel phosphors in the field of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Furthermore, a clear picture has been drawn for the relationship between their optoelectronic properties and chemical structures. These results should provide important information for developing highly efficient phosphors.