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Mark D Watson

Publications and source records attributed to Mark D Watson.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

High charge-carrier mobility in pi-deficient discotic mesogens: design and structure-property relationship.

Hexaazatrinaphthylene (HATNA) derivatives with six alkylsulfanyl chains of different length (hexyl, octyl, decyl and dodecyl) have been designed to obtain new potential electron-carrier materials. The electron-deficient nature of these compounds has been demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry. Their thermotropic behaviour has been studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry and polarised optical microscopy. The supramolecular organisation of these discotic molecules has been explored by temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction on powders and oriented samples. In addition to various liquid crystalline columnar phases (Col(hd), Col(rd)), an anisotropic plastic crystal phase is demonstrated to exist. The charge-carrier mobilities have been measured with the pulse-radiolysis time-resolved microwave-conductivity technique. They are found to be higher in the crystalline than in the liquid crystalline phases, with maximum values of approximately 0.9 and 0.3 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), respectively, for the decylsulfanyl derivative. Mobilities strongly depend on the nature of the side chains.

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PubMed2005

Partial fluorination overcomes herringbone crystal packing in small polycyclic aromatics.

[structure: see text] We report the synthesis and characterization of partially fluorinated condensed tetracyclic aromatic compounds. Typical edge-to-face/herringbone packing of nonfluorinated analogues is replaced here by columnar stacks with disk planes orthogonal to the columnar axes. Enhanced pi-overlap results with overlaid electron-poor and -rich regions.

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PubMed2004

Oligomers of hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes as "super-oligophenylenes": synthesis, electronic properties, and self-assembly.

Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) is a remarkable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and is often called "superbenzene" because of its similarity to benzene. In this article we present the facile synthesis of oligomers of HBC, up to trimers (3, 4, 5a-c) with different modes of connection. UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy studies reveal that the oligomers are electronically decoupled. This arises from the small atomic orbital coefficients of the bridge-head carbon atoms, the large torsion angle between the HBC units, and the large distance of interacting transition dipoles due to the size of the HBC chromophore. For comparison, a methylene-bridged HBC dimer 6, so-called "superfluorene", was prepared. The induced planarity improves pi-conjugation and suppresses the geometrical relaxation of the backbone upon electronic excitation, leading to a prominent 0-0 transition band in the fluorescence spectra. The self-assembly of the oligomers and of superfluorene 6 was studied by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) in the bulk state, and ordered columnar stacking occurs in the HBC dimer 3, p-HBC trimer 4, and superfluorene 6. Measurements of shear-aligned samples show that, despite increasing aspects ratio by linear entrainment of disks, the anitropic element that is subject to alignment by shear is the supramolecular columns.

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PubMed2004

Controlled self-assembly of hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes in solution.

Disc-shaped hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes (HBCs) peripherally substituted by flexible dodecyl chains (molecule 1) or rigid polyphenylene dendrons (molecules 2a,b and 3) were efficiently synthesized. Steric hindrance arising from the substituents, from less hindered dodecyl to bulky dendrons, was utilized to program the self-assembly of the HBC cores in solution. The high tendency of the hexadodecyl-substituted HBC 1 to aggregate was determined by concentration and temperature-dependent (1)H NMR spectroscopic measurements and nonlinear least-squares analysis of the experimental data. The rigid dendrons in molecule2a suppress the pi--pi interactions of the HBC cores to a certain extent, and a slow (with respect to the NMR time scale) monomer--dimer equilibrium is observed. This unique equilibrium was further controlled by temperature, concentration, and solvent to afford discrete monomeric or dimeric species. Further structural modifications such as the replacement of dodecyl groups in 2a with hydrogen atoms resulted in a stable dimer structure in 2b due to diminished steric hindrance, as supported by quantum chemical calculations. "Moving" the dendron arms closer to the HBC core gives molecule 3, which exists only as a nonaggregated monomer. UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectra of these discrete species revealed obvious differences in their electronic and optoelectronic properties which can be explained by the existence or absence of pi--pi interactions.

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PubMed2004

Macroscopic alignment of graphene stacks by Langmuir-Blodgett deposition of amphiphilic hexabenzocoronenes.

We present structural studies of Langmuir (L) and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of new amphiphilic hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) discotics, carrying five branched alkyl side chains and one polar group. The polar group is either a carboxylic acid moiety or an electron acceptor moiety (anthraquinone). Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) and X-ray reflectivity, both utilizing synchrotron radiation, show that these amphiphilic HBCs form well-defined Langmuir monolayers at the air-water interface, with a pi-stacked columnar structure where the HBC cores are rotated around the surface normal and tilted relative to the water surface. The intercolumnar distance is 20 A. The HBCs are confined to a layer lying on top of the layer of polar groups that are in contact with the water subphase. Efficient transfer of the monolayer of the anthraquinone-substituted HBC derivative to hydrophobic quartz substrates by vertical dipping gave well-defined multilayer Y-type LB films. Polarized optical spectroscopy, GIXD, and X-ray reflectivity measurements show that the LB films consist of at least two phases. Heating the films results in an irreversible rearrangement to a single macroscopically aligned phase of hexagonally packed columns oriented along the dipping direction with disk planes perpendicular to the columnar axes and stacked in a cofacial manner. This phase transition is analogous to the reversible transition observed in the bulk material.

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PubMed2004

The optical and charge transport properties of discotic materials with large aromatic hydrocarbon cores.

The optical absorption and charge transport properties of a series of discotic molecules consisting of peripherally alkyl-substituted polycyclic aromatic cores have been investigated for core sizes, n, of 24, 42, 60, 78, 96, and 132 carbon atoms. In dilute solution, the wavelength maximum of the first absorption band increases linearly with n according to lambda(max) = 280 + 2n and the spectral features become increasingly broadened. The two smallest core compounds display a slight red-shift and increased spectral broadening in spin-coated films. For derivatives with n = 24, 42, 60, and 96, the one-dimensional, intracolumnar charge mobility, Sigma mu(1D), was determined using the pulse-radiolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity technique. For the compounds which were crystalline solids at room temperature, Sigma mu(1D) lay within the range 0.4-1.0 cm(2)/Vs. In the discotic mesophases at ca. 100 degrees C, Sigma mu(1D) was somewhat lower and varied from 0.08 to 0.38 cm(2)/Vs. The mobility values in both phases are considerably larger than the maximum values found previously for discotic triphenylene derivatives. However, the recently proposed trend toward increasing mobility with increasing core size is not substantiated by the results on the present series of increasingly large aromatic core compounds.

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PubMed2004

Self-assembly of electron donor-acceptor dyads into ordered architectures in two and three dimensions: surface patterning and columnar "double cables".

We report the synthesis and characterization of covalent dyads and multiads of electron acceptors (A) and donors (D), with the purpose of exploiting their nanophase separation behavior toward (a) two-dimensional (2D) surface patterning with well-defined integrated arrays of dissimilar molecular electronic features and (b) bulk self-assembly to noncovalent columnar versions of the so-called "double cable" systems, the likes of which could eventually provide side-by-side percolation pathways for electrons and holes in solar cells. Soluble, alkylated hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes (HBCs) bearing tethered anthraquinones (AQs) are shown by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to self-assemble at the solution-graphite interface into either defect-rich polycrystalline monolayers or extended 2D crystalline domains, depending on the number of tethered AQs. In the bulk, the thermal stability of the room-temperature HBC columnar phase is increased, which is attributed to the desired nanotriphase separation of HBC columns, insulating alkyl sheaths, and AQ units. Homeotropic alignment (columns normal to surfaces), predicted to be ideal for potential exploitation of such "double cables" in photovoltaic devices, is demonstrated.

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PubMed2004

A hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene cyclophane: an addition to the toolbox for molecular electronics.

Cyclophanes with the largest-to-date polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene, HBC) to be entrained in such a structural motif are reported. The two disks are covalently captured by intermolecular ring-closing olefin metathesis of dienes in good yield. DSC, optical microscopy, and WAXD show the new cyclophanes to self-assemble to thermotropic columnar liquid crystal mesophases similar to monomeric analogues. Solution spectroscopic studies reveal that the two disks within a single unit lie face-to-face, with a small average lateral offset. Self-assembly into two-dimensional crystals at a solid-liquid interface was visualized by STM, and the electrical properties of single molecules were assessed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy revealing a diode-like behavior which is similar to that previously reported for single HBC disks, laying the groundwork for future electrical interrogations of dynamic molecular complexes.

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PubMed2004

Peralkylated coronenes via regiospecific hydrogenation of hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes.

A remarkable, regiospecific hydrogenation zips around the approximately 4 nm perimeter of hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes (HBC) adding 18 hydrogen atoms, leading to the first peralkylated coronenes, in quantitative yields in some cases. Increasing steric bulk of side chains was found to hinder the reaction, while unsubstituted HBC could be converted to a modest extent despite its vanishing solubility. The structures of the novel coronenes are unequivocally confirmed by MALDI-TOF, 1H, 13C, and heteronuclear correlation NMR, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The puckered-ring periphery of these discotics does not prohibit self-assembly to columnar structures in a fashion similar to that of the planar precursors, as determined from wide-angle X-ray diffraction, but decreases the isotropization temperature by approximately 300 degrees C relative to the latter. Branching in the alkyl chains frustrates nucleation from the melt, resulting in clear polymorphism depending on the thermal treatment. Nonetheless, preliminary measurements indicate high charge-carrier mobilities and lifetimes within the bulk material, on the same order as those previously found for HBCs.

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PubMed2004

Hexakis(4-iodophenyl)-peri-hexabenzocoronene- a versatile building block for highly ordered discotic liquid crystalline materials.

Hexakis (4-iodophenyl)-peri-hexabenzocoronene (5), a novel functionalizable mesogenic building block, was prepared by rational multistep synthesis. Although sparingly soluble in common solvents, it can be obtained in pure form and then functionalized via Hagihara-Sonogashira coupling to give a series of highly ordered columnar liquid crystalline molecules 14a-c. The total synthesis involves five 6-fold transformations, all in excellent to near quantitative isolated yields. Their thermotropic liquid crystalline behavior was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). Compared to the normal alkyl-subsituted hexabenzocoronenes (HBCs), 14a-c exhibit more highly ordered columnar mesophases, including three-dimensionally ordered superstructures (helical columnar mesophase). These could arise from additional intracolumnar pi-pi interactions between, and space-filling requirements introduced by, the rigid-rod side groups. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed self-assembled bundles of columnar aggregates in spin-coated films and isolated several-micron-long nanoribbons composed of a defined number of columns in drop cast films.

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PubMed2003

Ordered architectures of a soluble hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene-pyrene dyad: thermotropic bulk properties and nanoscale phase segregation at surfaces.

An alkylated hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene with a covalently tethered pyrene unit serves as a model to study self-assembling discotic pi-system dyads both in the bulk and at a surface. Wide-angle X-ray scattering, polarized light microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry revealed bulk self-assembly into columnar structures. Relative to a control without a tethered pyrene, the new dyad exhibits a more ordered columnar phase at room temperature but with dramatically lowered isotropization temperature, facilitating homeotropic alignment. These two features are important for processing such materials into molecular electronic devices, e.g., photovoltaic diodes. Scanning tunneling microscopy at a solution-solid interface revealed uniform nanoscale segregation of the large from the small pi-systems, leading to a well-defined two-dimensional crystalline monolayer, the likes of which may be employed in the future to study intramolecular electron transfer processes at surfaces, on the molecular scale.

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PubMed2003

Uniaxial alignment of the columnar super-structure of a hexa (alkyl) hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene on untreated glass by simple solution processing.

Uniaxially aligned, thin films of a discotic columnar thermotropic liquid crystalline material can be prepared by a simple solution zone-casting method, without the need for modified surfaces or traditional alignment techniques. Atomic force microscopy together with X-ray diffraction reveals single-crystalline-like order over several square centimeters, far exceeding the requirements for application of such films in organic molecular electronic devices such as field-effect transistors.

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PubMed2003

Alpha-helical-within-discotic columnar structures of a complex between poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(l-lysine) and a hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene.

Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(l-lysine) (PEO-PLL) was complexed with an amphiphilic hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC). This produced a thermotropic liquid crystalline material (PEO-PLL-HBC), which was investigated by FTIR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry as well as by wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering. It was found that the poly(l-lysine) blocks form an alpha-helical secondary structure. Each helix is surrounded symmetrically by six discotic columns of HBC, which gives an alpha-helical-within-discotic column structural entity. The dense packing of these entities produces hexagonal sublattices (formed by the columns) in the frame of a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice (formed by the helices). An order-order transition from a columnar structure Col1 to Col2 was found at 54 degrees C. The unit cell constants are 5.75 nm (Col1) and 6.60 nm (Col2). The larger unit cell size of Col2 was explained by a higher intracolumnar order of the latter in which the packing distance of the disklike HBC cores is well-defined (0.353 nm). PEO-PLL-HBC combines essential features of liquid crystals with a basic structural element of proteins into a single material.

Biomimetic Materials↗