Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs for short, play a central role in a variety of (opto)electronic applications, including chemical sensors, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic solar cells. In order to optimize the performance of the components and increase their versatility, researchers are testing substitution with various elements beyond traditional carbon. While substitution with boron (B), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O) and sulphur (S) has already been extensively researched, the integration of phosphorus (P) in combination with nitrogen (N) still poses a major challenge.
With his research group, Prof. Jan J. Weigand from TU Dresden recently achieved a decisive breakthrough: “In our current research, we have developed an innovative method to specifically introduce phosphorus and nitrogen atoms into polycyclic systems. This method made it possible to synthesize a wide range of P/N-substituted compounds, whose physicochemical properties were investigated in a multi-layered manner in collaboration with physicists from TU Dresden. By combining material simulations and spectroscopic measurements, we were able to gain fundamental insights into the structure-property relationships of the resulting compounds.”
The new method provides access to the well-known class of azaphospholes, which was previously only accessible with great difficulty and usually in very low yields. As a result, it was previously not considered for (opto)electronic applications. “Through the targeted combination of phosphorus and nitrogen, we hope to be able to control the electronic and optical properties of these compounds in a way that was previously not possible. This opens up exciting prospects for future applications in optoelectronics and beyond,” adds Sebastian Reineke, Head of the Light-Emitting and eXcitonic Organic Semiconductors Group (LEXOS) at TU Dresden.
Original publication
Jannis Fidelius, Kai Schwedtmann, Sebastian Schellhammer, [..], Antonio Frontera, Sebastian Reineke, Jan J. Weigand. Convenient Access to π-Conjugated 1,3-Azaphospholes from Alkynes via [3+2]-Cycloaddition and Reductive Aromatization, CHEM. DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2023.10.016
Contact
Prof. Jan J. Weigand
Professorship for Inorganic Molecular Chemistry
Tel.: +49 351 463-42800
jan.weigand@tu-dresden.de
– – – – –
Further links
👉 www.tu-dresden.de
Graphic: Jannis Fidelius
