Browsing by Author "Zeng, Xiangbing"

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Complex Columnar Hexagonal Polymorphism in Supramolecular Assemblies of a Semifluorinated Electron-Accepting Naphthalene Bisimide
(2015-01-21)
Wu, Yu-Chun
;
Leowanawat, Pawaret
;
Sun, Hao-Jan
;
Partridge, Benjamin E.
;
Peterca, Mihai
Simple synthetic methods for a strongly electron-accepting naphthalene bisimide (NBI) derivative functionalized with a new environmentally friendly chiral racemic semifluorinated alkyl group and with AB(3) minidendrons containing the same semifluorinated group are reported. The semifluorinated dendron was attached to the imide groups of the NBI via one, two, and three (m = 1, 2, 3) methylenic units. The NBI-containing semifluorinated groups and the dendronized NBI with m = 1 and 2 self-organize into lamellar crystals. The dendronized NBI with m = 3 self-assembles into an unprecedentedly complex and ordered column that self-organizes in a columnar hexagonal periodic array. This array undergoes a continuous transition to a columnar hexagonal superlattice that does not display a first-order phase transition during analysis by differential scanning calorimetry at heating and cooling rates of 10 and 1 degrees C/min. These complex columnar hexagonal periodic arrays with intramolecular order could be elucidated only by a combination of powder and fiber X-ray diffraction studies and solid-state NMR experiments. The lamellar crystals self-organized from m = 1 and the two highly ordered columnar hexagonal periodic arrays of m = 3 are assembled via thermodynamically controlled processes. Since strongly electron-accepting derivatives are of great interest to replace fullerene acceptors in organic photovoltaics and for other supramolecular electronic materials, the multitechnique structural analysis methodology elaborated here must be taken into consideration in all related studies.
Screening Libraries of Semifluorinated Arylene Bisimides to Discover and Predict Thermodynamically Controlled Helical Crystallization
(2016-12)
Ho, Ming-Shou
;
Partridge, Benjamin E.
;
Sun, Hao-Jan
;
Sahoo, Dipankar
;
Leowanawat, Pawaret
Synthesis, structural, and retrostructural analysis of a library containing 16 self-assembling perylene (PBI), 1,6,7,12-tetrachloroperylene (Cl4PBI), naphthalene (NBI), and pyromellitic (PMBI) bisimides functionalized with environmentally friendly AB(3) chiral racemic semifluorinated minidendrons at their imide groups via m = 0, 1, 2, and 3 methylene units is reported. These semifluorinated compounds melt at lower temperatures than homologous hydrogenated compounds, permitting screening of all their thermotropic phases via structural analysis to discover thermodynamically controlled helical crystallization from propeller-like, cogwheel, and tilted molecules as well as lamellar-like structures. Thermodynamically controlled helical crystallization was discovered for propeller-like PBI, Cl4PBI and NBI with m = 0. Unexpectedly, assemblies of twisted Cl(4)PBIs exhibit higher order than those of planar PBIs. PBI with m = 1, 2, and 3 form a thermodynamically controlled columnar hexagonal 2D lattice of tilted helical columns with intracolumnar order. PBI and Cl4PBI with m = 1 crystallize via a recently discovered helical cogwheel mechanism, while NBI and PMBI with m = 1 form tilted helical columns. PBI, NBI and PMBI with m = 2 generate lamellar-like structures. 3D and 2D assemblies of PBI with m = 1, 2, and 3, NBI with m = 1 and PMBI with m = 2 exhibit 3.4 angstrom pi-pi stacking. The library approach applied here and in previous work enabled the discovery of six assemblies which self-organize via thermodynamic control into 3D and 2D periodic arrays, and provides molecular principles to predict the supramolecular structure of electronically active components.