Pyrene-Based Materials for Organic Electronics Teresa M
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REVIEW pubs.acs.org/CR Pyrene-Based Materials for Organic Electronics Teresa M. Figueira-Duarte† and Klaus M€ullen*,‡ †BASF SE, Carl-Bosch-Strasse 38, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany ‡Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, P.O. Box 3148, Mainz, Germany CONTENTS Greek for “fire”, was attributed since he believed that it was frequently obtained via the reaction of organic substances with 1. Introduction 7260 fire. Later on, in 1871, Gr€abe reported the isolation of pyrene via 2. Electronic and Optoelectronic Organic Devices 7262 extraction with carbon disulfide, which left the accompanying 2.1. Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) 7262 chrysene undissolved.2 Concentration of the solution gave a 2.2. Organic Field-Effect Transistors (OFETs) 7263 crude pyrene, which was further purified via the picrate. Decom- 2.3. Organic Photovoltaic Devices (OPVs) 7263 position of the picrate yielded pyrene as yellow plates. 3. Chemical Modification of Pyrene 7264 Pyrene is also formed in many pyrolytic processes, for example, in the destructive distillation of soft coal tar, by pyrolysis 3.1. 1-Substituted Pyrenes 7264 of acetylene and hydrogen,3 by the zinc-dust distillation of 3.2. 1,3,6,8-Tetrasubstituted Pyrenes 7272 thebenol and thebenin,4 and from petroleum by the catarol 3.3. 1,6- And 1,8-Disubstituted Pyrenes 7274 process.5 Until 1882, an interesting source of pyrene was a special 3.4. 1,3-Disubstituted Pyrenes 7275 distillation of mercury ore as carried out in Idria. The byproduct, 3.5. 2,7-Substituted Pyrenes 7275 which was mixed with mercury, was called “Stupp” and contained 3.6. 4,5,9,10-Substituted Pyrenes 7277 up to 20% pyrene as well as other polycyclic hydrocarbons. The search for an effective method to prepare pyrene lead 4. Pyrenes as Active Components in Devices 7279 Weitzenb€ock in 1913 to the first synthesis of pyrene, starting 6 4.1. 1-Substituted Pyrenes 7279 from o,o0-ditolyl. Until the 1950s, several other preparative 7 16 4.1.1. Linear Structures 7279 routes toward pyrene were presented. À Modernization of 4.1.2. Liquid Crystalline Structures 7290 the distillation process of coal tar, as well as the destructive 4.1.3. Dendritic Structures 7290 hydrogenation of hard coal, yielded considerable quantities of pyrene and other polycyclic hydrocarbons, making pyrene of 4.1.4. Organic Inorganic Hybrids 7293 À commercial use. 4.2. 1,3,6,8-Tetrasubstituted Pyrenes 7293 Pyrene was initially used in the preparation of several deriva- 4.2.1. Linear Structures 7293 tives, such as the pyranthrone, for the synthetic dye industry.17 4.2.2. Liquid Crystalline Structures 7294 Later, in 1954 Forster€ and Kasper reported the first observation 18 4.2.3. Dendritic Structures 7297 of intermolecular excimers in a pyrene solution. This excimer fl 4.3. 1,6- And 1,8-Disubstituted Pyrenes 7299 formation, combined with long-lived excited states, high uor- escence quantum yield,19 exceptional distinction of the fluores- 4.3.1. Linear Structures 7299 cence bands for monomer and excimer, and the sensitivity of its 4.3.2. Liquid Crystalline Structures 7301 excitation spectra to microenvironmental changes,20 brought 4.4. 1,3-Disubstituted Pyrenes 7302 pyrene to the status of a gold standard as a molecular probe of 4.5. 2,7-Disubstituted Pyrenes 7304 microenvironments. Thanks to this attractive combination of 4.6. 4,5,9,10-Substituted Pyrenes 7304 properties, pyrene has become one of the most studied organic 5. Conclusion 7309 molecules in terms of its photophysical properties. The fluorescence properties of pyrene have been utilized over Author Information 7310 the last 50 years in the investigation of water-soluble polymers, Biographies 7310 making pyrene, by far, the most frequently applied dye in References 7310 fluorescence labeled polymers.21,22 The attachment of hydro- phobic pyrene units to water-soluble polymers alters not only the properties of the polymer but also those of the chromophore. The pyrene chromophore is also frequently employed as a probe 1. INTRODUCTION to measure properties of surfactant micelles, phospholipid vesi- Pyrene is the fruit fly of photochemists. Its unique properties cles, and surfactant/polymers aggregates. The tendency of have inspired researchers from many scientific areas, making pyrene and its derivatives to form excimers has been widely pyrene the chromophore of choice in fundamental and applied employed for supramolecular design and for probing the struc- photochemical research. Since the pioneering work of Laurent, tural properties of macromolecular systems. Pyrene labels have who in 1837 discovered pyrene in the residue of the destructive distillation of coal tar,1 this polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon has Received: December 14, 2010 been the subject of tremendous investigation. The name pyrene, Published: July 11, 2011 r 2011 American Chemical Society 7260 dx.doi.org/10.1021/cr100428a | Chem. Rev. 2011, 111, 7260–7314 Chemical Reviews REVIEW been extensively used in structural studies of proteins and of the optical properties while also influencing the molecular 23 26 27 31 peptides, À but also DNA recognition À and investigation packing. High spatial organization is of great importance for the 32 39 of lipid membranes. À The excimer fluorescence of pyrene construction of devices in order to control the charge carrier and derivatives has been also utilized to sense environmental mobilities. Also the choice of the right processing technique is parameters such as temperature,40 pressure,41 or pH.42 The change crucial for the fabrication of high-performance devices. of the excimer fluorescence intensity reflects changes in the environ- Conjugated organic oligomers and polymers have achieved ment. In addition, it can also be used to detect guest molecules such the status of a major technologically important class of materials. 43 46 47 49 50 57 fi as gases (O2 or NH3), À organic molecules, À metals, À Polymers have the advantages of low cost, ease of modi cation of or other miscellaneous analytes.58 properties by appropriate substitution, and solvent processabil- In addition to excimer sensing, which propelled pyrene to the ity. Oligomers are of particular interest, since they generally status of the most used fluorescent probe, there has been a recent possess good molecular-ordering properties when processed increased interest in the use of pyrene as organic semiconductor using vacuum-sublimation techniques. Since vacuum deposition for application in materials science and organic electronics. Great is often argued to be expensive and limiting toward display size, progress has been made, particularly in the past decade, in the several efforts have been made in order to make oligomers search for organic materials with attractive electronic and photo- soluble in organic solvents with the introduction of proper physical properties for application in a new generation of chemical substituents. Monodisperse conjugated oligomers can 59 61 electronic and optoelectronic devices. À The ability to replace be free from structural defects, possessing high purity from inorganic semiconductors with organic materials will decrease conventional purification methods, allowing a very accurate manufacturing costs and allow fabrication of devices over large relationship between structure and properties. Pyrene-based areas on lightweight and flexible substrates. The appeal of new low-molecular weight organic materials and polymers have been technologies based on organic semiconductors has notably used as active components in molecular electronic devices such promoted the advancement of devices such as organic light- as OLEDs, OFETs, and, more recently, solar cells. emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic photovoltaic cells (OPV), Herein, we provide an overview of the use of pyrene-based organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), organic lasers, and materials in organic electronics illustrating the increased interest memory cells. These devices are being tailored for application of pyrene in electronic devices and highlighting their potential as in flat-panel displays, lighting, RFID (radio frequency identifica- organic semiconductors. In our structure-driven approach, we tion tags), electronic skin, and solar modules. Furthermore, describe many efforts to manage the pyrene chemical challenges flexible organic electronic devices have generated entirely new and, consequently, establish a new pyrene chemistry that allows design concepts for consumer electronics, since they are fully the use of pyrene in organic electronics. Moreover, we also adaptable to complex surface shapes. demonstrate how to control the intermolecular interactions by The key to the conception of high-performance electronic manipulating the complexity of the structure at the molecular organic devices is based on the insight of clear structure level using different substitutions on the pyrene ring. The design property relationships, which can be used to understand the pro-À of different pyrene-based molecular architectures is discussed, as perties of existing devices and predict the ideal material sets for well as the study of the optical and electronic properties plus the utilization in the next generation of electronic devices. Subtle charge transfer processes, which are of particular interest for changes in structure or composition of an organic material can molecular electronics. Furthermore, our study paves the way for greatly alter its bulk properties. In contrast to inorganic semi- the evaluation of these molecular components with respect to conductors, the properties of