Stepwise deprotonation of truxene: structures, metal complexation, and charge-dependent optical properties
Yumeng Guo, Herdya S. Torchon, Yikun Zhu, Zheng Wei, Zhenyi Zhang, Haixiang Han, Marina A. Petrukhina, Zheng Zhou
Abstract
segments introduces aromaticity in the five-membered rings. Importantly, the UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence of truxenyl anions with different charges reveal intriguing charge-dependent optical properties, implying variation of the electronic structure based on the deprotonation process. An increase in aromaticity and π-conjugation yielded a red shift in the absorption and photoluminescent spectra; in particular, large Stokes shifts were observed in the truxenyl monoanion and dianion with high emission quantum yield and time of decay. Overall, stepwise deprotonation of truxene provides the first crystallographically characterized examples of truxenyl anions with three different charges and charge-dependent optical properties, pointing to their potential applications in carbon-based functional materials.