Direct Evidence for Secondary Interactions in Planar and Nonplanar Aromatic π-Conjugates and Their Photophysical Characteristics in Solid-State Assemblies

Abstract

Direct evidence for non-covalent secondary interactions in planar and nonplanar aromatic π-conjugates and their solid-state assemblies is established. A series of horizontally, vertically, and radially expanded oligo(phenylenevinylene)s (H-OPVs, V-OPVs, and R-OPVs, respectively) were designed with a fixed π-core and variable alkyl chain lengths on the periphery. Single-crystal structures of the OPVs were resolved to trace the secondary interactions that direct the solid-state self-organization and molecular packing of the chromophores. The H-OPVs were found to be planar, and they did not show any secondary interactions in the crystal lattices. The V-OPVs and R-OPVs were found to be nonplanar and to exhibit multiple CH/π hydrogen-bonding interactions among aryl hydrogen donors and acceptors. The enthalpies of the melting and crystallization transitions revealed that the planar H-OPVs are highly crystalline compared with the nonplanar R-OPVs and V-OPVs. Polarized light microscopy studies revealed the formation of one-dimensional nematic mesophases in H-OPVs. The absolute solid-state photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of the OPVs were determined using an integrating sphere setup. The highly packed H-OPVs showed low PLQYs compared with those of the weakly packed V-OPVs and R-OPVs. Time-resolved fluorescence decay measurements revealed that the excited-state decay dynamics of highly packed H-OPVs was much faster with respect to their low PLQYs. The decay profiles were found to be relatively slow (with higher life time (τ)) in the V-OPVs and R-OPVs. A field-effect transistor (FET) device was constructed for an OPV sample that showed a hole carrier mobility in the range of 10–5 cm2 V–1 s–1. The present investigation thus provides a new opportunity to trace the role of secondary interactions on π-conjugated mesophase self-assemblies and their solid-state emission and FET devices, more specifically based on OPV chromophores.specifically based on OPV chromophores.