Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of benzoquinone-based donor-acceptor compounds

Abstract

Herein, we report a mild and efficient palladium-catalyzed C-H functionalization method to synthesize a series of benzoquinone-based charge transfer derivatives in good yields. The optoelectronic properties of these compounds were explored both theoretically and experimentally and correlations to structure were identified as a function of the nature and position of the donor group (meta and para) attached to the benzoquinone acceptor. Compound 3 , where benzoquinone is para-conjugated to the diphenylamine donor group, exhibited thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) with a biexponential lifetime characterized by a prompt nanosecond component and a delayed component of 353 μs.