UrFU Chemists Synthesized Unique Сhromophores

13:15, December 28, 2020

The chromophores can be used to create fiber-optic communication lines and sensors

International group of scientists have synthesized a series of chromophores promising to create a new class of materials with nonlinear optical properties (NLO). The staff of Institute of Organic Synthesis of Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Federal and Strasbourg Universities (France), Universities of Rennes-1 (France) and Pardubice (Czech Republic) have worked on the creation of the materials.

The results of the collaboration are published in the Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology, A: Chemistry.

Such chromophores were first obtained on the basis of a heterocyclic system - furazanopyrazine. They are push-pull systems - compounds with pronounced electron-donor and electron-acceptor parts and, therefore, with a high intensity of intramolecular charge transfer.

Such organic materials, which are characterized by significant NLO coefficients in comparison with traditional inorganic analogs, are of particular interest for use in laser systems for generating, modulating, and transmitting light radiation. In particular, materials of this kind are promising for the creation of modern fiber-optic communication lines.

“The significance of our work is that, firstly, one of the obtained compounds is characterized by high hyperpolarizability, that is, the unique ability to“ change ”the plane of polarization of light when exposed to an external electric field. In other words, this compound has strong nonlinear optical properties. Secondly, prior to our research, it was believed that furazanopyrazine derivatives are only suitable for the development of new energy-saturated compounds, as well as biologically active compounds capable of affecting various processes in living organisms, "explains the co-leader of the research group, leading researcher at the Laboratory of Heterocyclic Compounds, IOS URO RAS and junior researcher at the scientific laboratory of medicinal chemistry and promising organic materials, Ural Federal University Egor Verbitskiy.

Having synthesized new compounds and studied their electrochemical, photophysical, nonlinear optical characteristics, scientists have demonstrated for the first time that the range of useful properties of this class of compounds is not limited to the above applications. They can also act as sensors for various ecotoxicants that pollute the environment, for example, pesticides (herbicides), or exhibit semiconducting properties.

We add that the research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project 18-29-23045mk "New low-molecular compounds for functional layers of hybrid solar cells on a film basis").