Highly stretchable polymer semiconductor thin films with multi-modal energy dissipation and high relative stretchability.

Stretchable polymer semiconductors (PSCs) have seen great advancements alongside the development of soft electronics. But it remains a challenge to simultaneously achieve high charge carrier mobility and stretchability. Herein, we report the finding that stretchable PSC thin films (<100-nm-thick) with high stretchability tend to exhibit multi-modal energy dissipation mechanisms and have a large relative stretchability (rS) defined by the ratio of the entropic energy dissipation to the enthalpic energy dissipation under strain. They effectively recovered the original molecular ordering, as well as electrical performance, after strain was released. The highest rS value with a model polymer (P4) exhibited an average charge carrier mobility of 0.2 cm2V-1s-1 under 100% biaxial strain, while PSCs with low rS values showed irreversible morphology changes and rapid degradation of electrical performance under strain. These results suggest rS can be used as a parameter to compare the reliability and reversibility of stretchable PSC thin films.

Deformable Organic Nanowire Field-Effect Transistors.

Deformable electronic devices that are impervious to mechanical influence when mounted on surfaces of dynamically changing soft matters have great potential for next-generation implantable bioelectronic devices. Here, deformable field-effect transistors (FETs) composed of single organic nanowires (NWs) as the semiconductor are presented. The NWs are composed of fused thiophene diketopyrrolopyrrole based polymer semiconductor and high-molecular-weight polyethylene oxide as both the molecular binder and deformability enhancer. The obtained transistors show high field-effect mobility >8 cm2 V-1 s-1 with poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) polymer dielectric and can easily be deformed by applied strains (both 100% tensile and compressive strains). The electrical reliability and mechanical durability of the NWs can be significantly enhanced by forming serpentine-like structures of the NWs. Remarkably, the fully deformable NW FETs withstand 3D volume changes (>1700% and reverting back to original state) of a rubber balloon with constant current output, on the surface of which it is attached. The deformable transistors can robustly operate without noticeable degradation on a mechanically dynamic soft matter surface, e.g., a pulsating balloon (pulse rate: 40 min-1 (0.67 Hz) and 40% volume expansion) that mimics a beating heart, which underscores its potential for future biomedical applications.

Significance of the double-layer capacitor effect in polar rubbery dielectrics and exceptionally stable low-voltage high transconductance organic transistors.

Both high gain and transconductance at low operating voltages are essential for practical applications of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Here, we describe the significance of the double-layer capacitance effect in polar rubbery dielectrics, even when present in a very low ion concentration and conductivity. We observed that this effect can greatly enhance the OFET transconductance when driven at low voltages. Specifically, when the polar elastomer poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (e-PVDF-HFP) was used as the dielectric layer, despite a thickness of several micrometers, we obtained a transconductance per channel width 30 times higher than that measured for the same organic semiconductors fabricated on a semicrystalline PVDF-HFP with a similar thickness. After a series of detailed experimental investigations, we attribute the above observation to the double-layer capacitance effect, even though the ionic conductivity is as low as 10(-10) S/cm. Different from previously reported OFETs with double-layer capacitance effects, our devices showed unprecedented high bias-stress stability in air and even in water.

Multistep π dimerization of tetrakis(n-decyl)heptathienoacene radical cations: a combined experimental and theoretical study.

Radical cations of a heptathienoacene α,ß-substituted with four n-decyl side groups (D4T7(.) (+) ) form exceptionally stable π-dimer dications already at ambient temperature (Chem. Comm. 2011, 47, 12622). This extraordinary π-dimerization process is investigated here with a focus on the ultimate [D4T7(.) (+) ]2 π-dimer dication and yet-unreported transitory species formed during and after the oxidation. To this end, we use a joint experimental and theoretical approach that combines cyclic voltammetry, in situ spectrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry, EPR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. The impact of temperature, thienoacene concentration, and the nature and concentration of counteranions on the π-dimerization process is also investigated in detail. Two different transitory species were detected in the course of the one-electron oxidation: 1) a different transient conformation of the ultimate [D4T7(.) (+) ]2 π-dimer dications, the stability of which is strongly affected by the applied experimental conditions, and 2) intermediate [D4T7]2 (.) (+) π-dimer radical cations formed prior to the fully oxidized [D4T7]2 (.) (+) π-dimer dications. Thus, this comprehensive work demonstrates the formation of peculiar supramolecular species of heptathienoacene radical cations, the stability, nature, and structure of which have been successfully analyzed. We therefore believe that this study leads to a deeper fundamental understanding of the mechanism of dimer formation between conjugated aromatic systems.

Substituent and counterion effects on the formation of π-dimer dications of end-capped heptathienoacenes.

We have investigated the impact of the functionalization and the chemical nature of counterions on the π-dimer dications formation in two end-capped heptathienoacenes. Radical cations of an α-substituted heptathienoacene with triisopropylsilyl groups do not π-dimerize, while those of an α,ß-substituted heptathienoacene with four n-decyl side chains show a high propensity toward π-dimerization, increased by PF(6)(-) counterions.

Discovery of 2-(4-methylfuran-2(5H)-ylidene)malononitrile and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid derivatives as G protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35) agonists.

Screening with dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) assays in a native cell line HT-29 led to identification of two novel series of chemical compounds, 2-(4-methylfuran-2(5H)-ylidene)malononitrile and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid derivatives, as GPR35 agonists. Of these, 2-(3-cyano-5-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-4,5-dimethylfuran-2(5H)-ylidene)malononitrile (YE120) and 6-bromo-3-methylthieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid (YE210) were found to be the two most potent GPR35 agonists with an EC(50) of 32.5 ± 1.7 nM and 63.7 ± 4.1 nM, respectively. Both agonists exhibited better potency than that of zaprinast, a known GPR35 agonist. DMR antagonist assays, knockdown of GPR35 with interference RNA, receptor internalization assays, and Tango ß-arrestin translocation assays confirmed that the agonist activity of these ligands is specific to GPR35. The present study provides novel chemical series as a starting point for further investigations of GPR35 biology and pharmacology.

Cascade cyclization to produce a series of fused, aromatic molecules.

An efficient synthesis of fully aromatic, fused-ring, monoaza-acenes through a nucleophile initiated cascading cyclization is illustrated. Photophysical properties of the resulting molecules are reported.

Self-assembling poly(dioxaborole)s as blue-emissive materials.

Conjugated, borole-linked polymers have been self-assembled based on boronate ester formation between a fluorene-2,7-diboronic acid and 1,2,4,5-tetrahydroxybenzene. Readily soluble polymers with molecular weights approaching 60 000 have been generated with materials exhibiting extended conjugation over approximately 3-5 borole linkages. Emission from these polymers reaches into the visible (blue) range, representing a novel class of blue-emitting materials.

Substituent effects on the structure and supramolecular assembly of bis(dioxaborole)s.

Solid-state and solution analysis shows that dialkyl substituents on the central phenyl ring of bis(dioxaborole)s, such as , do not have an appreciable effect on the planarity but do significantly alter the supramolecular assembly of these compounds.

Self-repairing polymers: poly(dioxaborolane)s containing trigonal planar boron.

The molecular weight of poly(dioxaborolane)s can be controlled during the polymerization reaction or through post-polymerization processing in such a manner that hydrolytic damage to these materials may be repaired, thereby regenerating the polymer.

Inside or outside a ligand cleft? Synthetic, structural, and kinetic inertness studies of zinc, cadmium, and mercury complexes of cross-bridged cyclam and cyclen.

Ethylene cross-bridging of the popular tetraazamacrocyclic ligand cyclam has led to metal complexes with enhanced kinetic inertness. The synthesis and spectral characterization of zinc(II), cadmium(II), and mercury(II) complexes of cross-bridged cyclam (L1) as well as cross-bridged cyclen (L2) are reported along with the details of our synthetic route to L2. X-ray structural studies revealed that all Zn(II) and Cd(II) cations are fully kappa(4)N-coordinated inside the respective ligand's molecular cleft with L1 providing the better fit for Zn(II). While Hg(II) is similarly coordinated to L2, it has been found to complex L1 outside the ligand cleft in a novel exo-kappa(2)N-mode. Solution NMR data of the kappa(4)N complexes are consistent with the presence of only a single cis-folded isomer in each case. Ligand (1)H and (13)C coupling to both (111,113)Cd and (199)Hg in their complexes can be clearly discerned. The relative kinetic inertness of representative cross-bridged complexes in acidic aqueous solution has been assessed and found to be in the following order: Zn(II) > Cd(II)[dbl greater-than] Hg(II). The data also reaffirm that cross-bridged cyclam ligand L1 forms a substantially more inert complex with zinc(II) than either the smaller cyclen analogue L2 or the unbridged 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-cyclam L3.

Comparative in vivo stability of copper-64-labeled cross-bridged and conventional tetraazamacrocyclic complexes.

The increased use of copper radioisotopes in radiopharmaceutical applications has created a need for bifunctional chelators (BFCs) that form stable radiocopper complexes and allow covalent attachment to biological molecules. The chelators most commonly utilized for labeling copper radionuclides to biomolecules are analogues of 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-1,4,8,11-tetraacetic acid (TETA); however, recent reports have communicated the instability of the radio-Cu(II)-TETA complexes in vivo. A class of bicyclic tetraazamacrocycles, the ethylene "cross-bridged" cyclam (CB-cyclam) derivatives, form highly kinetically stable complexes with Cu(II) and therefore may be less susceptible to transchelation than their nonbridged analogues in vivo. Herein we report results on the relative biological stabilities and identification of the resulting radiolabeled metabolites of a series of (64)Cu-labeled macrocyclic complexes. Metabolism studies in normal rat liver have revealed that the (64)Cu complex of 4,11-bis(carboxymethyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazabicyclo[6.6.2]hexadecane ((64)Cu-CB-TE2A) resulted in significantly lower values of protein-associated (64)Cu than (64)Cu-TETA [13 +/- 6% vs 75 +/- 9% at 4 h]. A similar trend was observed for the corresponding cyclen derivatives, with the (64)Cu complex of 4,10-bis(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazabicyclo[5.5.2]tetradecane ((64)Cu-CB-DO2A) undergoing less transchelation than the (64)Cu complex of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid ((64)Cu-DOTA) [61 +/- 14% vs 90.3 +/- 0.5% protein associated (64)Cu at 4 h]. These data indicate that the structurally reinforcing cross-bridge enhances in vivo stability by reducing metal loss to protein in both the cyclam and cyclen cross-bridged (64)Cu complexes and that (64)Cu-CB-TE2A is superior to (64)Cu-CB-DO2A in that regard. These findings further suggest that a bifunctional chelator derivative of CB-TE2A is a highly desirable alternative for labeling copper radionuclides to biological molecules for diagnostic imaging and targeted radiotherapy.