Functionalizing molecular wires: a tunable class of α,ω-diphenyl-μ,ν-dicyano-oligoenes

We describe the synthesis and characterization of a new class of cyano-functionalized oligoenes and their derivatives. We have made the vinylogous series of α,ω-diphenyl-μ,ν-dicyano-oligoenes (DPDCn) comprised of each odd-numbered member from 3 to 13 linear conjugated olefins. Installing cyano groups onto the oligoene backbone lowers HOMO and LUMO energies by up to ∼0.7 eV, thereby stabilizing the molecule with respect to oxidative decomposition; this exemplifies a new approach to the stabilization of conjugated oligoenes. UV-vis absorption spectra and redox potentials across the DPDCn series reveal that the molecular band gap ranges from 2.80 to 1.75 eV. This gap can be further tuned by the facile installation of a variety of aryl end-groups. The choice of end-groups also greatly affects the physical properties such as solubility and the solid-state packing. We also present the longest oligoene crystal structure reported to date. Moreover, we find that the prototypical linear structure makes oligoenes suitable as molecular wires and connectors in the bottom-up construction of nanoscale architectures. As a proof of concept, carboxylic acid terminated oligoenes were used to position 10-nm Fe3O4 nanoparticles on a GaAs (100) substrate.