Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Synthesis and properties of functionalized 4 nm scale molecular wires with thiolated termini for self-assembly onto metal surfaces
AU - Wang, Changsheng
AU - Bryce, Martin R.
AU - Gigon, Joanna
AU - Ashwell, Geoff
AU - Grace, Iain
AU - Lambert, Colin J.
PY - 2008/7/4
Y1 - 2008/7/4
N2 - We report the synthesis of new oligo(aryleneethynylene) molecular wires of ca. 4 nm length scale by palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling methodology. Key structural features are the presence of electron donor 9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)fluorene (compounds 13 and 14) and electron acceptor 9-[di(4-pyridyl)methylene]fluorene units (compound 16) at the core of the molecules. Terminal thiolate substituents are protected as cyanoethylsulfanyl (13 and 16) or thioacetate derivatives (14). The molecules display well-defined redox processes in solution electrochemical studies. The optical properties in solution are similar to those of the fluorenone analog 6: the strongest absorptions for 6, 13 and 16 are in the region lambda(max) = 387-393 nm, with 13 showing an additional shoulder at 415 nm which is not present for 6 and 16; this shoulder is assigned to a HOMO-LUMO transition from the dithiole to the fluorene unit. Molecules 6, 13, 14 and 16 form self-assembled monolayers on gold substrates which exhibit essentially symmetrical current-voltage (I-V) characteristics when contacted by a gold scanning tunelling microscope (STM) tip. The effects of the chemical modifications at the central unit of 6, 14 and 16 on the HOMO-LUMO levels and electron transport through the molecules in vacuum have been computed by an A initio approach.
AB - We report the synthesis of new oligo(aryleneethynylene) molecular wires of ca. 4 nm length scale by palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling methodology. Key structural features are the presence of electron donor 9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)fluorene (compounds 13 and 14) and electron acceptor 9-[di(4-pyridyl)methylene]fluorene units (compound 16) at the core of the molecules. Terminal thiolate substituents are protected as cyanoethylsulfanyl (13 and 16) or thioacetate derivatives (14). The molecules display well-defined redox processes in solution electrochemical studies. The optical properties in solution are similar to those of the fluorenone analog 6: the strongest absorptions for 6, 13 and 16 are in the region lambda(max) = 387-393 nm, with 13 showing an additional shoulder at 415 nm which is not present for 6 and 16; this shoulder is assigned to a HOMO-LUMO transition from the dithiole to the fluorene unit. Molecules 6, 13, 14 and 16 form self-assembled monolayers on gold substrates which exhibit essentially symmetrical current-voltage (I-V) characteristics when contacted by a gold scanning tunelling microscope (STM) tip. The effects of the chemical modifications at the central unit of 6, 14 and 16 on the HOMO-LUMO levels and electron transport through the molecules in vacuum have been computed by an A initio approach.
U2 - 10.1021/jo800120n
DO - 10.1021/jo800120n
M3 - Journal article
VL - 73
SP - 4810
EP - 4818
JO - Journal of Organic Chemistry
JF - Journal of Organic Chemistry
SN - 0022-3263
IS - 13
ER -