Macromolecular Effect Stabilized Color-Tunable and Room Temperature Charge-Transfer Complexes Based on Donor–Acceptor Assemblies

Abstract

We report one of the first examples of room temperature stable solid-state charge transfer (CT) complexes based on a segmented π-conjugated polymer and rylene diimide donor–acceptor system having tunable optical transitions from the visible to NIR region in the solar spectrum. Semicrystalline and amorphous segmented oligo-phenylenevinylene (OPV) chromophore containing polymers were tailor-made with flexible polymethylene chains in the backbone. The electron rich segmented OPV polymers were complexed with two electron-deficient diimides based on naphthalene (NDI) and phenylene (PDI) core. The binary complexes of segmented OPV polymers and rylene diimides produced unique classes of CT complexes based on OPV-NDI and OPV-PDI chromophore diads. Electron microscope, polarizing microscope, and X-ray diffraction analyses provided direct evidence for the two-dimensional lamellar packing of D–A self-assembly in the solid state. Detailed absorption and emission photophysical studies revealed that the donor OPV polymers and acceptor chromophores exhibited a 1:1 complex with respect to the long-range order of D–A–D–A–D–A π-stacked supramolecular assemblies. The role of the macromolecular effect on the CT complexation was further investigated using structurally identical OPV monomers. The monomer OPV-NDI complexes (or PDI complexes) were found to exhibit CT complex in the solution; however, they underwent uncontrollable phase separation into their individual D and A crystalline domains and lost their CT self-assembly in the solid state. Interestingly, the macromolecular effect driven supramolecular self-organization of long chain segmented OPV polymers produced stable CT complexes both in solution and solid state under ambient conditions. Segmented OPV polymer + PDI and segmented OPV polymer + NDI complexes were produced as red and green colored CT complexes, respectively. This enabled the accomplishment of room temperature stable CT complexes in π-conjugated polymers having absorption ranging from 350 to 1100 nm. These donor–acceptor CT self-assemblies are processable into thin films under solvent free melt crystallization process; thus, the present segmented polymer design strategy opens up a platform for donor–acceptor CT complexes.