Dibenzothiophene Sulfone-Based Ambipolar-Transporting Blue-Emissive Organic Semiconductors Towards Simple-Structured Organic Light-Emitting Transistors.

The development of blue-emissive ambipolar organic semiconductor is an arduous target due to the large energy gap, but is an indispensable part for electroluminescent device, especially for the transformative display technology of simple-structured organic light-emitting transistor (SS-OLET). Herein, we designed and synthesized two new dibenzothiophene sulfone-based high mobility blue-emissive organic semiconductors (DNaDBSOs), which demonstrate superior optical property with solid-state photoluminescent quantum yield of 46-67 % and typical ambipolar-transporting properties in SS-OLETs with symmetric gold electrodes. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical characterizations reveal the natural of ambipolar property for such blue-emissive DNaDBSOs-based materials is ascribed to a synergistic effect on lowering LUMO level and reduced electron injection barrier induced by the interfacial dipoles effect on gold electrodes due to the incorporation of appropriate DBSO unit. Finally, efficient electroluminescence properties with high-quality blue emission (CIE (0.179, 0.119)) and a narrow full-width at half-maximum of 48 nm are achieved for DNaDBSO-based SS-OLET, showing good spatial control of the recombination zone in conducting channel. This work provides a new avenue for designing ambipolar emissive organic semiconductors by incorporating the synergistic effect of energy level regulation and molecular-metal interaction, which would advance the development of superior optoelectronic materials and their high-density integrated optoelectronic devices and circuits.

Miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion and solid-phase clear-up combined with capillary electrophoresis for efficient determination of trace bioactive components in complicated sample matrix: Take Wubi Shanyao Pill as an example.

Accurate quantitative analysis of trace analytes in a complicated matrix is a challenge in modern analytical chemistry. An appropriate analytical method is considered to be one of the most common gaps during the whole process. In this study, a green and efficient strategy based on miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion and solid-phase extraction combined with capillary electrophoresis was first proposed for extracting, purifying and determining target analytes from complicated matrix, using Wubi Shanyao Pill as an example. In detail, 60 mg of samples were dispersed on MCM-48 to obtain high yields of analytes, then the extract was purified with a solid-phase extraction cartridge. Finally, four analytes in the purified sample solution were determined by capillary electrophoresis. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of matrix solid-phase dispersion, purification efficiency of solid-phase extraction and separation effect of capillary electrophoresis were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, all analytes demonstrated satisfactory linearity (R2 >0.9983). What's more, the superior green potential of the developed method for the determination of complex samples was confirmed by the Analytical GREEnness Metric Approach. The established method was successfully applied in the accurate determination of target analytes in Wubi Shanyao Pill and thus provided reliable, sensitive, and efficient strategy support for its quality control.

Formation of covalent metal-carbon contacts assisted by Ag+ for single molecule junctions.

Covalent metal-carbon (M-C) contacts have long been pursued for constructing robust and high-performance molecular devices. Existing methods for creating such contacts usually rely on direct chemical reactions between metal electrodes and designed molecular ligands. An inherent limitation of this approach is that the commonly used metal electrodes (e.g., Au) are chemically inert, making it generally difficult to form covalent M-C bonds with molecules. Intriguingly, employing the scanning tunneling microscope-break junction technique, we find that simply adding Ag+ ions to molecular solution enables direct covalent bonding of terminal alkynes to Au electrodes. The bonding process is driven by Ag+ ion coupled in situ reactions and efficiently creates covalent Au/Ag-C interfaces in single molecule junctions. This metal ion assisted method avoids the need for complex synthesis of molecular ligands and works robustly for a wide range of alkyne-terminated molecules, offering a facile and versatile approach for precisely tuning the metal-molecule interface.

Iminyl-Radical-Mediated Formation of Covalent Au-N Bonds for Molecular Junctions.

The interaction between organic radicals and transition metals plays a crucial role in radical-mediated chemical reactions, functional devices, and biocatalysis. Characterizing such interactions, however, remains a long-standing challenge due to the inherently high reactivity of radical species. Here, using a scanning tunneling microscope breaking junction (STM-BJ) technique, we are able to detect the interaction mode between iminyl radicals and the gold surface at a single molecule level. We show that the free iminyl radicals generated through photochemical N-O bond homolysis of oxime esters react toward the gold electrode surface and produce covalent Au-N bonds. Intriguingly, we find that the Au-N bonding reactions lead to the formation of robust and highly conductive single-molecule junctions. These findings provide not only insights into the mechanism of iminyl-radical-involved reactions but also a facile photolysis method to create a new type of covalent electrode-molecule bonding contact for molecular devices.

Cleavage of non-polar C(sp2)‒C(sp2) bonds in cycloparaphenylenes via electric field-catalyzed electrophilic aromatic substitution.

Electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) is one of the most fundamental reactions in organic chemistry. Using an oriented external electric field (OEEF) instead of traditional reagents to tune the EAS reactivity can offer an environmentally friendly method to synthesize aromatic compounds and hold the promise of broadening its scope. Despite these advantages, OEEF catalysis of EAS is difficult to realize, due to the challenge of microscopically orienting OEEF along the direction of electron reorganizations. In this work, we demonstrate OEEF-catalyzed EAS reactions in a series of cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) using the scanning tunneling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) technique. Crucially, the unique radial π-conjugation of CPPs enables a desired alignment for the OEEF to catalyze the EAS with Au STM tip (or substrate) acting as an electrophile. Under mild conditions, the OEEF-catalyzed EAS reactions can cleave the inherently inert C(sp2)-C(sp2) bond, leading to high-yield (~97%) formation of linear oligophenylenes terminated with covalent Au-C bonds. These results not only demonstrate the feasibility of OEEF catalysis of EAS, but also offer a way of exploring new mechanistic principles of classic organic reactions aided by OEEF.

Highly efficient charge transport across carbon nanobelts.

Carbon nanobelts (CNBs) are a new form of nanocarbon that has promising applications in optoelectronics due to their unique belt-shaped π-conjugated systems. Recent synthetic breakthrough has led to the access to various CNBs, but their optoelectronic properties have not been explored yet. In this work, we study the electronic transport performance of a series of CNBs by incorporating them into molecular devices using the scanning tunneling microscope break junction technique. We show that, by tuning the bridging groups between the adjacent benzenes in the CNBs, we can achieve remarkably high conductance close to 0.1 G0, nearly one order of magnitude higher than their nanoring counterpart cycloparaphenylene. Density functional theory-based calculations further elucidate the crucial role of the structural distortion played in facilitating the unique radial π-electron delocalization and charge transport across the belt-shaped carbon skeletons. These results develop a basic understanding of electronic transport properties of CNBs and lay the foundation for further exploration of CNB-based optoelectronic applications.

Discovery of potential hypoglycemic metabolites in Cassiae Semen by coupling UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS combined plant metabolomics and spectrum-effect relationship analyses.

Cassiae Semen (CS) is consumed as fried tea or medicinal food in Asian areas. Its two commercial forms, namely raw and fried CS, exert different clinical applications, in which fried CS is commonly applied as a functional tea for losing weight. To prevent confusion in the use of the two forms of CS, a comprehensive strategy by combining plant metabolomics and spectrum-effect relationship analyses was developed for the fast and efficient discrimination of raw and fried CS, and further for the discovery of the potential hypoglycemic metabolites of CS to control its quality. First, the plant metabolic profiling of raw and processed samples was performed by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. A total of 1111 differential metabolites were found to well distinguish the raw and fried CS after analyzing by MPP software. Subsequently, α-glucosidase inhibition of raw and fried CS was investigated. As a result, fried CS demonstrated much stronger α-glucosidase inhibition activity than the raw sample. By analyzing the spectrum-effect relationship with GRA, BCA, and PLSR, 14 potential hypoglycemic-related compounds were discovered. As anticipated, they were also found as the differential metabolites of the raw and fried samples with a potential hypoglycemic effect, which might be beneficial for the quality control of CS tea. Additionally, molecular docking analysis was conducted to reveal the underlying inhibition mechanisms of the four most critical constituents, including physcion, chrysoobtusin, aurantio-obtusin, and obtusifolin. This study provides a powerful tool for the discrimination of processed samples and fast screening of the active constituents in complex natural products on a high-throughput basis.

Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Device Engineering: Toward Organic Field-Effect Transistor-Based High-Performance Gas Sensors.

Organic electronic-based gas sensors hold great potential for portable healthcare- and environment-monitoring applications. It has recently been shown that introducing a porous structure into an organic semiconductor (OSC) film is an efficient way to improve the gas-sensing performance because it facilitates the interaction between the gaseous analyte and the active layer. Although several methods have been used to generate porous structures, the development of a robust approach that can facilely engineer the porous OSC film with a uniform pore pattern remains a challenge. Here, we demonstrate a robust approach to fabricate porous OSC films by using a femtosecond laser-processed porous dielectric layer template. With this laser-assisted strategy, various polymeric OSC layers with controllable pore size and well-defined pore patterns were achieved. The consequent porous p-type polymer-based device exhibits enhanced sensitivity to the ammonia analyte in the range from 100 ppb to 10 ppm with remarkable reproducibility and selectivity. The micropattern of the active layer was precisely controlled by generating various pore densities in the predecorated templates, which results in modulated ammonia sensitivities ranging from 30 to 65% ppm-1. Furthermore, we show that this approach can be used to fabricate flexible gas sensors with enhanced sensing performance and mechanical durability, which indicate that this femtosecond laser-assisted approach is very promising for the fabrication of next-generation wearable electronics.

Dual Modulation of Single Molecule Conductance via Tuning Side Chains and Electric Field with Conjugated Molecules Entailing Intramolecular O•••S Interactions.

Herein, single-molecule conductance studies of TBT1-TBT6 which entails 1,4-dithienylbenzene as the backbone and SMe groups as the anchoring units, with the scanning tunneling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) technique, are reported. The molecular conductance of TBT1 with intramolecular O•••S noncovalent interactions is enhanced by about one order of magnitude in comparison to their analogue TBT2 (which contains alkyl instead of alkoxy chains). By replacing the methoxy groups in TBT1 with extending alkoxy chains in TBT3, TBT4, and TBT5, the molecular backbones become twisted and as a consequence the single-molecule conductance decreases gradually, showing that the intramolecular O•••S noncovalent interaction is influenced by the structural features of alkoxy chains. More importantly, the single-molecule conductance of TBT3, TBT4, and TBT5 can be boosted by increasing the electric field applied to the molecular junctions. Remarkably, the conductance of TBT3, TBT4, and TBT5 can be reversibly modulated due to the conformational changes between twisted and planar ones by varying the electric field. These results demonstrate that molecules with intramolecular O•••S noncovalent interactions have the potential for in situ control of the electrical properties of molecular-scale devices.

Tetrathiafulvalenes as anchors for building highly conductive and mechanically tunable molecular junctions.

The interface between molecules and electrodes has great impact on charge transport of molecular devices. Precisely manipulating the structure and electronic coupling of electrode-molecule interface at a molecular level is very challenging. Here, we develop new molecular junctions based on tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-fused naphthalene diimide (NDI) molecules which are anchored to gold electrodes through direct TTF-Au contacts formed via Au-S bonding. These contacts enable highly efficient orbital hybridization of gold electrodes and the conducting π-channels, yielding strong electrode-molecule coupling and remarkably high conductivity in the junctions. By further introducing additional thiohexyl (SHe) anchors to the TTF units, we develop molecular wires with multiple binding sites and demonstrate reversibly switchable electrode-molecule contacts and junction conductance through mechanical control. These findings show a superb electrode-molecule interface and provide a new strategy for precisely tunning the conductance of molecular devices towards new functions.

Substitution pattern controlled charge transport in BN-embedded aromatics-based single molecule junctions.

The understanding of charge transport at a single molecule level is a prerequisite for the fabrication of molecular devices. Here, the relationship between molecular conductance, substitution pattern and stimuli response in BN-embedded aromatics was systematically investigated using the break junction technique. It was found that the para-phenylthioether-anchored BN molecule (p-BN-p) shows the highest conductance of 10-4.86G0, and the meta-phenylthioether-anchored BN molecule (m-BN-m) exhibits the lowest conductance which is lower than the instrument detection limit (<10-6.0G0). The m-BN-p and p-BN-m molecules, with both para- and meta-substituted anchor groups on two termini, show moderate conductances of 10-5.50G0 and 10-5.45G0, respectively. The conductance difference is interpreted as a distinct quantum interference effect caused by the substitution pattern of the anchoring groups. Notably, their conductance changes slightly upon coordination with a fluoride ion, in spite of the distinct change of their frontier orbital energy levels. These results demonstrate that, in addition to the frontier orbital energy levels, the anchors play an important role in the design of stimuli-responsive molecular electronic devices with a high on/off current ratio.

A simple and sensitive preconcentration strategy by coupling salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction with online three-step stacking for the determination of potent anti-tumour compound vinblastine and its precursor in biological samples by capillary electrophoresis.

A sensitive capillary electrophoresis strategy was developed by combining salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction and online three-step stacking to detect trace quantities of antitumour indole alkaloids in complex biological samples. The proposed strategy fully exploits these two technologies such that extraction, online stacking and separation are combined in a fast and efficient manner. First, salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction was used to extract three indole alkaloids (vinblastine sulfate, catharanthine sulfate and vindoline) from complex biomasses. An appropriate volume of acetonitrile (ACN) was mixed with a faecal aqueous solution to precipitate proteins. The mixed solution was vortexed, followed by the addition of ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) to induce two-phase separation. Alkaloids were effectively extracted into the organic phase, which was then subjected to capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis. The sensitivity of capillary electrophoresis was effectively improved by online three-step stacking. Good linearity of the calibration curve for each indole alkaloid was obtained in the concentration range of 0.1-1 µg/mL. Under optimal conditions, the sensitivity of ordinary injection was increased by up to 2366-fold, confirming the applicability of the proposed strategy for the sensitive determination of trace indole alkaloids in complex biological samples.

Single cycloparaphenylene molecule devices: Achieving large conductance modulation via tuning radial π-conjugation.

Conjugated macrocycles cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) have unusual size-dependent electronic properties because of their unique radially π-conjugated structures. Contrary to linearly π-conjugated molecules, their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)­lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gap shrinks as the molecular size reduces, and this feature can, in principle, be leveraged to achieve unexpected size-dependent transport properties. Here, we examine charge transport characteristics of [n]CPPs (n = 5 to 12) at the single molecule level using the scanning tunneling microscope­break junction technique. We find that the [n]CPPs have a much higher conductance than their linear oligoparaphenylene counterparts at small ring size and at the same time show a large tunneling attenuation coefficient comparable to saturated alkane series. These results show that the radially π-conjugated molecular systems can offer much larger conductance modulation range than standard linear molecules and can be a new platform for building molecular devices with highly tunable transport behaviors.

A single-molecule blueprint for synthesis.

Chemical reactions that occur at nanostructured electrodes have garnered widespread interest because of their potential applications in fields including nanotechnology, green chemistry and fundamental physical organic chemistry. Much of our present understanding of these reactions comes from probes that interrogate ensembles of molecules undergoing various stages of the transformation concurrently. Exquisite control over single-molecule reactivity lets us construct new molecules and further our understanding of nanoscale chemical phenomena. We can study single molecules using instruments such as the scanning tunnelling microscope, which can additionally be part of a mechanically controlled break junction. These are unique tools that can offer a high level of detail. They probe the electronic conductance of individual molecules and catalyse chemical reactions by establishing environments with reactive metal sites on nanoscale electrodes. This Review describes how chemical reactions involving bond cleavage and formation can be triggered at nanoscale electrodes and studied one molecule at a time.

Voltage-Induced Single-Molecule Junction Planarization.

Probing structural changes of a molecule induced by charge transfer is important for understanding the physicochemical properties of molecules and developing new electronic devices. Here, we interrogate the structural changes of a single diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) molecule induced by charge transport at a high bias using scanning tunneling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) techniques. Specifically, we demonstrate that application of a high bias increases the average nonresonant conductance of single Au-DPP-Au junctions. We infer from the increased conductance that resonant charge transport induces planarization of the molecular backbone. We further show that this conformational planarization is assisted by thermally activated junction reorganization. The planarization only occurs under specific electronic conditions, which we rationalize by ab initio calculations. These results emphasize the need for a comprehensive view of single-molecule junctions which includes both the electronic properties and structure of the molecules and the electrodes when designing electrically driven single-molecule motors.

Cyclopropenylidenes as Strong Carbene Anchoring Groups on Au Surfaces.

The creation of stable molecular monolayers on metallic surfaces is a fundamental challenge of surface chemistry. N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) were recently shown to form self-assembled monolayers that are significantly more stable than the traditional thiols on Au system. Here we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that the smallest cyclic carbene, cyclopropenylidene, binds even more strongly than NHCs to Au surfaces without altering the surface structure. We deposit bis(diisopropylamino)cyclopropenylidene (BAC) on Au(111) using the molecular adduct BAC-CO2 as a precursor and determine the structure, geometry, and behavior of the surface-bound molecules through high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy. Our experiments are supported by density functional theory calculations of the molecular binding energy of BAC on Au(111) and its electronic structure. Our work is the first demonstration of surface modification with a stable carbene other than NHC; more broadly, it drives further exploration of various carbenes on metal surfaces.

Cumulene Wires Display Increasing Conductance with Increasing Length.

One-dimensional sp-hybridized carbon wires, including cumulenes and polyynes, can be regarded as finite versions of carbynes. They are likely to be good candidates for molecular-scale conducting wires as they are predicted to have a high-conductance. In this study, we first characterize the single-molecule conductance of a series of cumulenes and polyynes with a backbone ranging in length from 4 to 8 carbon atoms, including [7]cumulene, the longest cumulenic carbon wire studied to date for molecular electronics. We observe different length dependence of conductance when comparing these two forms of carbon wires. Polyynes exhibit conductance decays with increasing molecular length, while cumulenes show a conductance increase with increasing molecular length. Their distinct conducting behaviors are attributed to their different bond length alternation, which is supported by theoretical calculations. This study confirms the long-standing theoretical predictions on sp-hybridized carbon wires and demonstrates that cumulenes can form highly conducting molecular wires.

Using Deep Learning to Identify Molecular Junction Characteristics.

The scanning tunneling microscope-based break junction (STM-BJ) is used widely to create and characterize single metal-molecule-metal junctions. In this technique, conductance is continuously recorded as a metal point contact is broken in a solution of molecules. Conductance plateaus are seen when stable molecular junctions are formed. Typically, thousands of junctions are created and measured, yielding thousands of distinct conductance versus extension traces. However, such traces are rarely analyzed individually to recognize the types of junctions formed. Here, we present a deep learning-based method to identify molecular junctions and show that it performs better than several commonly used and recently reported techniques. We demonstrate molecular junction identification from mixed solution measurements with accuracies as high as 97%. We also apply this model to an in situ electric field-driven isomerization reaction of a [3]cumulene to follow the reaction over time. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our model can remain accurate even when a key parameter, the average junction conductance, is eliminated from the analysis, showing that our model goes beyond conventional analysis in existing methods.

Directing isomerization reactions of cumulenes with electric fields.

Electric fields have been proposed as having a distinct ability to catalyze chemical reactions through the stabilization of polar or ionic intermediate transition states. Although field-assisted catalysis is being researched, the ability to catalyze reactions in solution using electric fields remains elusive and the understanding of mechanisms of such catalysis is sparse. Here we show that an electric field can catalyze the cis-to-trans isomerization of [3]cumulene derivatives in solution, in a scanning tunneling microscope. We further show that the external electric field can alter the thermodynamics inhibiting the trans-to-cis reverse reaction, endowing the selectivity toward trans isomer. Using density functional theory-based calculations, we find that the applied electric field promotes a zwitterionic resonance form, which ensures a lower energy transition state for the isomerization reaction. The field also stabilizes the trans form, relative to the cis, dictating the cis/trans thermodynamics, driving the equilibrium product exclusively toward the trans.

In Situ Coupling of Single Molecules Driven by Gold-Catalyzed Electrooxidation.

A single-molecule method has been developed based on the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to selectively couple a series of aniline derivatives and create azobenzenes. The Au-catalyzed oxidative coupling is driven by the local electrochemical potential at the nanostructured Au STM tip. The products are detected in situ by measuring the conductance and molecular junction elongation and compared with analogous measurements of the expected azobenzene derivatives prepared ex situ. This single-molecule approach is robust, and it can quickly and reproducibly create reactions for a variety of anilines. We further demonstrate the selective synthesis of geometric isomers and the assembly of complex molecular architectures by sequential coupling of complementary anilines, demonstrating unprecedented control over bond formation at the nanoscale.