Regiochemical Effects of Furan Substitution on the Electronic Properties and Solid-State Structure of Partial Fused-Ring Oligothiophenes

Oligomers containing the new fused-ring heterocyclic conjugated building block thieno[3,2-b]furan were synthesized, and the effects associated with furan ring substitution into fused-ring oligothiophenes on the electronic properties and solid-state structure were assessed. A series of four-ring oligomers which vary in the degree of furan ring substitution and the regiochemistry of placement were synthesized via Stille cross-coupling and oxidative homocoupling strategies. The electronic properties of these oligomers were studied by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Substitution of furan rings at the terminal positions yields oligomers with a narrower HOMO-LUMO gap relative to the all-thiophene analogue 2,2'-bithieno[3,2-b]thiophene, and incorporation of furan rings at the interior positions results in oligomers with an increase in rigidity and a higher fluorescence quantum yield. Packing motifs of the oligomers were determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction. In contrast to the herringbone crystal packing observed for nonfused oligothiophenes, oligofurans, thiophene-furan hybrid oligomers, and the all-thiophene analogue 2,2'-bithieno[3,2-b]thiophene, all three regioisomers derived from the dimerization of thieno[3,2-b]furan arrange in a π-stacked packing motif in the solid state.