Synthesis of polyaromatic azaborines and their application as triplet energy transfer emitters in solar energy conversion
Mentor: Juan José Vaquero López
Email: juanjose.vaquero@uah.es
Phone: (+34) 918 854 761
University: Universidad de Alcalá
Partner Host Institution: N.A
Keywords: Azaheterocycles; Azaborines; TTA-UC systems; solar storage

Synthesis of polyaromatic azaborines and their application as triplet energy transfer emitters in solar energy conversion

Photon upconversion, the process wherein light of long wavelength is frequency converted to photons of higher energy, is readily achieved at low incident power through sensitized triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) in various chromophore combinations spanning the UV to the near-IR. This emerging wavelength-shifting technology truly represents a viable route towards converting low energy terrestrial solar photons into light adequate to drive electron transfer in operational photovoltaics. One of the many possible applications of an efficient and high-energy photon up-conversion would be its use as an elegant way to increase the efficiency of various solar cells.

The typical UC-system consists of two types of organic dyes: a sensitizer (usually metalated macrocycles, with a high value of intersystem crossing (ISC) coefficient) and an emitter (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with a very low ISC-coefficient) dissolved in an organic solvent. The sensitizer harvests photons of low energy and the emitter accepts the energy of the sensitizer and generates up-converted luminescence.

The design and synthesis of new sensitizers and emitters optimized for triplet energy transfer is essential for developing new molecular systems capable of demonstrating effective sustainable creation and energy transfer of excited triplet ensembles. This research will focus on two different families of emitter compounds generated by the replacement of a carbon of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) by a heteroatom: azonia aromatic cations (AZAC), if a nitrogen is employed, and azaborines, formally generated by replacing a C=C unit in a PAH with an isoelectronic B−N unit.

Departament: Organic Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry
Research Group: Biological chemistry
More Information: https://www.uah.es/es/investigacion/unidades-de-investigacion/grupos-de-investigacion/Quimica-Biologica/
https://portal.uah.es/portal/page/portal/epd2_profesores/prof121535
Relevants projects on the area:
Relevants publications on the area: 1.- Alberto Abengózar, Patricia García-García, David Sucunza, Luis Manuel Frutos, Obis Castaño, Diego Sampedro, Adrián Pérez-Redondo , Juan J. Vaquero "Efficient synthesis, optical properties and regioselective functionalization of 4a-aza-10a-boraphenanthrene" Org. Lett. 2017, 19, 3458-3461. DOI:10.1021/acs.orglett.7b01435
2.- Alberto Abengózar, Patricia García-García, David Sucunza, Luis Manuel Frutos, Obis Castaño, Diego Sampedro, Adrián Pérez-Redondo , Juan J. Vaquero Synthesis of functionalized helical BN-benzo[c]phenanthrenes Chem. Comm. 2018, 54, 2467-2470 DOI: 10.1039/C7CC09264D