NanoRad · Phenylene-Bridged Grossly Warped Radical Nanographenes
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31
- EU contribution
- €212,934
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Phenylene-Bridged Grossly Warped Radical Nanographenes
Carbon-based materials play a significant role in the fields of photonics, spintronics, electronics, quantum information technology, etc. In particular, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with open-shell characteristics are very attractive due to their unique physicochemical properties, although the inherent instability rising from their incompletely satised valency delays further development. In the recent years, there have been successes in designing open-shell materials, showing that stable radicals are accessible through rational design and appropriate chemical construction. Accordingly, the incorporation of odd-numbered rings in PAHs tunes molecular strain and topology. Seven-membered ring such as cycloheptatriene (CHT) molecular nanocarbons are particularly promising, but functional examples remain relatively limited. In this project, we report a hexacationic (HC) PAH incorporated with six dibenzosuberenyl (DBS) moiety in hexaphenylbenzene (HPB) and its redox behaviours. This proposal fills this gap in our knowledge by synthesising odd-numbered ring polyaromatic hydrocarbons and characterising their properties throughout several electronic states, including states with potential radical, diradical and polyradical character. The project was based in Durham to make use of the extensive hands-on experience in making and investigating of similar compounds with in Prof. Paul McGonigal (PRM) group.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Here, I propose the exploitation of hitherto unknown grossly warped cationic nanographenes and investigate their unique properties with a view to energy storage and luminescent devices. This Action combines aspects of odd-numbered ring (heptagonal) aromatic cations and open-shell aromatic systems, which are both underutilised in contemporary chemistry. The project will lend new fundamental insights into their self-assembly, optoelectronics, and redox chemistry, bringing them into the mainstream. Investigating these materials will also give insights into the roles of heptagonal defects in carbon nanomaterials, e.g., graphene. The primary objectives of this proposal are (1) to develop scalable synthetic routes to as yet unexplored open-shell warped nanographene ions containing tropylium cation (TP) cores, (2) to investigate and characterise their optical and electronic spin properties and (3) to carry out in depth DFT calculations.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM · DURHAMCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union