skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Systematic Molecular Engineering of a Series of Aniline-Based Squaraine Dyes and Their Structure-Related Properties

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]; ORCiD logo [5];  [6]; ORCiD logo [6]; ORCiD logo [2];  [7];  [8];  [5];  [5]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. New Jersey Inst. of Technology, Newark, NJ (United States); Shaanxi Normal Univ., Xi’an (China)
  2. New Jersey Inst. of Technology, Newark, NJ (United States)
  3. Shaanxi Normal Univ., Xi’an (China)
  4. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  5. Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando, FL (United States)
  6. Univ. of Parma (Italy)
  7. Light Conversion, Vilnius (Lithuania)
  8. National Academy of Science of Ukraine (Ukraine)

With the objective of developing new near-infrared fluorescent probes and understanding the effect molecular structure exerts on physical properties, a series of aniline-based squaraine dyes with different number and position of methoxy substituents adjacent to the squaraine core were synthesized and investigated. Using both computational and experimental methods, we found that the subtle changes of the number or position of the methoxy substituents influenced the twisting angle of the structure and led to significant variations in optical properties. Moreover, the methoxy substituent also affected aggregation behavior due to steric effects. The X-ray crystal structure of one of the key members of the series, SD-2a, clearly demonstrates the distortion between the four-membered squaraine core and the adjacent aniline ring due to methoxy substitution. Structure-related fast relaxation processes were investigated by femtosecond pump–probe experiments and transient absorption spectra. Quantum chemical calculations and essential state models were exploited to analyze the primary experimental results. Here, the comprehensive investigation of structure-related properties of dihydroxylaniline-based squaraine dyes, with systematic substitution of OH by OCH3 functional groups, serves as a guide for the design of novel squaraine dyes for photonics applications.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF); U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Grant/Contract Number:
DMR-1609895; CBET-1517273; CHE-0832622; PGA-P210877
OSTI ID:
1434732
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Vol. 122, Issue 7; ISSN 1932-7447
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 22 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (64)

Emission-Tunable Near-Infrared Ag 2 S Quantum Dots journal December 2011
Developing Quinoidal Fluorophores with Unusually Strong Red/Near-Infrared Emission journal August 2015
Squaraine-Based Polymer Dots with Narrow, Bright Near-Infrared Fluorescence for Biological Applications journal December 2014
Hybrid Theranostic Platform for Second Near-IR Window Light Triggered Selective Two-Photon Imaging and Photothermal Killing of Targeted Melanoma Cells journal September 2015
Near-Infrared Fluorescent NanoGUMBOS for Biomedical Imaging journal November 2009
A Unique Class of Near-Infrared Functional Fluorescent Dyes with Carboxylic-Acid-Modulated Fluorescence ON/OFF Switching: Rational Design, Synthesis, Optical Properties, Theoretical Calculations, and Applications for Fluorescence Imaging in Living Animals journal December 2011
One-Pot Synthesis of Squaraine Fluoroionophores journal August 1998
Coevaporated Bisquaraine Inverted Solar Cells: Enhancement Due to Energy Transfer and Open Circuit Voltage Control journal January 2015
N,N-Diarylamino end-capping as a new strategy for simultaneously enhancing open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density and fill factor in small molecule organic solar cells journal January 2015
Squaraine Dyes with Pyrylium and Thiopyrylium Components for Harvest of Near Infrared Light in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells journal April 2014
Two-Photon 3D Optical Data Storage via Fluorescence Modulation of an Efficient Fluorene Dye by a Photochromic Diarylethene journal November 2006
Materials for Optical Data Storage journal November 1989
Infrared dyes for optical storage journal January 1981
Controlled Aggregation and Enhanced Two-Photon Absorption of a Water-Soluble Squaraine Dye with a Poly(acrylic acid) Template journal August 2013
Rational design of small indolic squaraine dyes with large two-photon absorption cross section journal January 2015
A highly selective fluorescent chemosensor for Hg2+ based on a squaraine–bis(rhodamine-B) derivative: Part II journal April 2015
Chemistry of Squaraine-Derived Materials:  Near-IR Dyes, Low Band Gap Systems, and Cation Sensors journal April 2005
Squaraine as a bright, stable and environment-sensitive far-red label for receptor-specific cellular imaging journal January 2015
The synthesis and 1O2 photosensitization of halogenated asymmetric aniline-based squaraines journal January 2011
Ultrafast spectroscopy, superluminescence and theoretical modeling of a two-photon absorbing fluorene derivative journal January 2016
N,N-Di aryl anilinosquaraines and Their Application to Organic Photovoltaics journal November 2011
Aggregation of Surfactant Squaraine Dyes in Aqueous Solution and Microheterogeneous Media:  Correlation of Aggregation Behavior with Molecular Structure journal January 1996
Structure–property relationship of anilino-squaraines in organic solar cells journal January 2014
Search for Squaraine Derivatives That Can Be Sublimed without Thermal Decomposition journal May 2002
A Series of Squaraine Dyes: Effects of Side Chain and the Number of Hydroxyl Groups on Material Properties and Photovoltaic Performance journal January 2014
Squaraine chemistry: effects of structural changes on the absorption and multiple fluorescence emission of bis[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]squaraine and its derivatives journal September 1987
A squaraine-based red emission off–on chemosensor for biothiols and its application in living cells imaging journal January 2013
SHELXT – Integrated space-group and crystal-structure determination journal January 2015
Crystal structure refinement with SHELXL journal January 2015
OLEX2 : a complete structure solution, refinement and analysis program journal January 2009
Coot model-building tools for molecular graphics journal November 2004
Ultrafast dynamics of photochromic compound based on oxazine ring opening journal January 2008
Ultrafast spectral dynamics of structurally modified photochromic indolo[2,1-b][1,3]benzoxazines journal July 2014
Sensitive measurement of optical nonlinearities using a single beam journal April 1990
Self-Assembly of Tripodal Squaraines: Cation-Assisted Expression of Molecular Chirality and Change from Spherical to Helical Morphology journal January 2007
Advances in synthesis and application of near-infrared absorbing squaraine dyes journal January 2013
Squaraine Chemistry. Absorption, Fluorescence Emission, and Photophysics of Unsymmetrical Squaraines journal June 1995
Syntheses and Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Unsymmetrical Squaraines with Extended Conjugation journal April 1994
Conformational isomerism in squaraines: saturation transfer NMR studies on hydroxy squaraines journal April 1990
The structure and 13 C-NMR of an indolenium squaraine dye journal August 1999
The influence of intramolecular noncovalent interactions in unsymmetrical squaraines on material properties, film morphology and photovoltaic performance journal October 2017
1 H NMR Spectral Evidence for a Specific Host−Guest Complexation Induced Charge Localization in Squaraine Dyes journal July 2005
Squarylium Dyes: Structural Factors Pertaining to the Negative Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Response journal March 1995
Fluorogenic Squaraine Dimers with Polarity-Sensitive Folding As Bright Far-Red Probes for Background-Free Bioimaging journal December 2014
Confirmation of the Origins of Panchromatic Spectra in Squaraine Thin Films Targeted for Organic Photovoltaic Devices journal August 2015
Squaraine “ships” in the Y zeolite “bottle”: a chromogenic sensing material for the detection of volatile amines and thiols journal January 2011
New Two-Photon-Absorbing Probe with Efficient Superfluorescent Properties journal November 2010
Linear and nonlinear optical characterizations of a monomeric symmetric squaraine-based dye in solution journal June 2009
Synthesis of a Novel Chiral Squaraine Dye and Its Unique Aggregation Behavior in Solution and in Self-Assembled Monolayers journal May 2006
Superfluorescent Squaraine with Efficient Two-Photon Absorption and High Photostability journal September 2013
Near-Unity Quantum Yields for Intersystem Crossing and Singlet Oxygen Generation in Polymethine-like Molecules: Design and Experimental Realization journal July 2010
Subpicosecond Measurements of Polar Solvation Dynamics: Coumarin 153 Revisited journal November 1995
Linear Photophysics and Femtosecond Nonlinear Spectroscopy of a Star-Shaped Squaraine Derivative with Efficient Two-Photon Absorption journal May 2016
Synthesis and Two-Photon Spectrum of a Bis(Porphyrin)-Substituted Squaraine journal May 2009
Experimental and theoretical approaches to understanding two-photon absorption spectra in polymethine and squaraine molecules journal January 2007
Effect of Substituents on Optical Properties and Charge-Carrier Polarity of Squaraine Dyes journal January 2014
Asymmetrical Squaraines Bearing Fluorine-Substituted Indoline Moieties for High-Performance Solution-Processed Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells journal June 2015
Carbazole-Based Copolymers: Effects of Conjugation Breaks and Steric Hindrance journal April 2011
Photochemical Stabilization of Terthiophene and Its Utilization as a New Sensing Element in the Fabrication of Monolayer-Chemistry-Based Fluorescent Sensing Films journal March 2011
Synthesis, optical properties and explosive sensing performances of a series of novel π-conjugated aromatic end-capped oligothiophenes journal February 2013
Charge Instability in Quadrupolar Chromophores:  Symmetry Breaking and Solvatochromism journal December 2006
Spectroscopic Characterization and Modeling of Quadrupolar Charge-Transfer Dyes with Bulky Substituents journal April 2012
Asymmetric Squaraine Dyes: Spectroscopic and Theoretical Investigation journal July 2013
Essential State Model for Two-Photon Absorption Spectra of Polymethine Dyes journal June 2012

Cited By (4)

Synthesis of ArSe‐Substituted Aniline Derivatives by C(sp 2 )‐H Functionalization journal October 2018
Far-Red- to NIR-Emitting Adamantyl-Functionalized Squaraine Dye: J-Aggregation, Dissociation, and Cell Imaging: Far-Red- to NIR-Emitting Adamantyl-Functionalized Squaraine Dye: J-Aggregation, Dissociation, and Cell Imaging journal July 2018
Photo-uncaging of BODIPY oxime ester for histone deacetylases induced apoptosis in tumor cells journal January 2019
Electronic Nature of Neutral and Charged Two-Photon Absorbing Squaraines for Fluorescence Bioimaging Application journal September 2019