Group theory-guided materials design of chiral organic semiconductors for high-performance circularly polarized light detection
Huagui Zhuo, Xianfeng Shen, Wenkai Zhao, Zhenping Li, Ke Gao, Zhiwei Wang, Wenhan Wu, Junli Bai, Gang Chang, Yuchen Wu, Wei Ma, Mingming Zhang, Guankui Long, Rongjin Li, Veaceslav Coropceanu, Feng Gao, Xiaobo Shang
Abstract
<h2>Summary</h2> Chiral organic small molecules, recognized for their intrinsic chirality and tunable chiroptical properties, present a promising candidate for circularly polarized light (CPL) detection. However, they often exhibit low CPL absorption asymmetry factor (<i>g</i><sub>abs</sub>) due to the lack of effective material design principles. Here, we conceptualize the group theory-guided material design principle and demonstrate high-performance CPL detection using doubly bridged naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) cyclophanes ((+)/(−)-2NDI) as an example. The <i>D</i><sub>2</sub> point group endows (+)/(−)-2NDI with optimal angles—either 180° or 0°—between the magnetic and electric transition dipole moments, achieving a <i>g</i><sub>abs</sub> of up to ±0.06, one of the highest values reported for chiral organic semiconductors. This strategy has facilitated CPL photodetectors with a photocurrent asymmetry factor (<i>g</i><sub>ph</sub>) of 1.67, far surpassing most of the current CPL photodetectors. Our group theory-guided material design principle offers a robust framework for designing polarization-sensitive materials, heralding new possibilities for integrated chiroptical devices.