New Functional Organoboron Materials for Optoelectronics and Energy Conversion

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Sophisticatedly designed aryl boranes are key building blocks for next-generation organic optoelectronic materials. Their potential applications range from organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for flat displays and lighting to organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) for solar energy conversion, field-effect transistors (OFETs), and electrode materials in lithium batteries. In this proposal, we combine the expertise of 4 internationally leading research groups (2 from Germany and 2 from China) including 3 which specialize in the design and synthesis of novel boron-containing materials, and 1 which specializes in the fabrication of organic devices to embark on an ambitious collaborative project to design and synthesize new boron-based materials and to explore their applications in optoelectronic devices.We propose to develop new and unconventional synthetic methodologies for the creation of several classes of novel boron-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), antiaromatic boroles, aromatic borepins, and different types of boron-heteroatom containing conjugated systems and to investigate their use in organic electronic devices such as OLEDs, OPVs, and all polymer solar cells (all-PSCs). Key scientific challenges to be addressed are: (a) developing facile and efficient synthetic methods, especially modular synthetic approaches, that are applicable to a large library of new compounds; (b) achieving chemical stability under ambient conditions; (c) understanding and tuning the key factors that influence the electronic and photophysical properties of B-PAHs and B,X-PAHs; (d) establishing the scope and limitation of corresponding materials for applications in optoelectronic devices. On the basis of our recent findings that certain perfluoroalkyl-substituted arene groups on boron can provide a dramatic increase in stability of the compounds while enhancing electron acceptor properties, we propose synthetic strategies for the preparation of a variety of perfluoroalkyl-substituted arenes which will be attached to boron centers in both boroles and borepins, and can be used for other types of boron-based materials, to approach challenges (a) and (b) above. Several types of novel boron (B) and boron-heteroatom (B,X)-doped polycyclic aromatic compounds will be prepared using sophisticated synthetic approaches and their properties will be explored. New hybrid materials containing B,N-chelate units will also be prepared for applications in solar cells. New compounds will be incorporated into organic electronic devices (OLEDs, OPVs, all-PSCs, OFETs) within the project, and their efficiencies will be evaluated. The objectives have been grouped into 8 work packages, distributed equally among the 4 principal investigators.