The electronic structure of semiconducting π-conjugated materials continues to attract interest through both experimental and theoretical approaches. To explore the effects of intermolecular interactions between conjugated systems, we have embarked on an examination of the electronic structure of a series of molecules in which conjugated segments are held in a stacked arrangement. This arrangement mimics the packing of conjugated molecules in the solid state. Previous work made use of pseudo-geminal disubstituted [2.2]paracyclophane to hold pairs of oligo(phenylene vinylene) segments in a stacked arrangement. The compounds consisting of a stacked pair of conjugated segments emit at longer wavelengths than the corresponding isolated, unstacked oligomers. This emission indicates the presence of a low-energy excimer-like state that arises from the interaction of the π-systems of the two segments. An extension of this work is underway to study compounds which have two, three, and four oligo(phenylene ethynylene) segments held in a multitiered architecture. The oligomers are characterized using UV-Vis and fluorescence spectrometry, and by voltammetry techniques, to determine the evolution of optoelectronic properties as conjugated oligomers are assembled into multisegment architectures.

Multi-tiered conjugated oligomers as models to examine π-π interactions in semiconducting conjugated materials

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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