Monolayers of diphenyldiacetylene derivatives: Tuning molecular tilt angles and photopolymerization efficiency via electrodeposited Ag interlayer on Au

An electrodeposited Ag adlayer (upd, underpotential deposition) is utilized to improve monolayer photopolymerization of diphenyldiacetylene derivatives (DPDAs) that would otherwise exhibit no polymerization in solid state. Topochemical reaction of diacetylene derivatives via solid-state 1,4-addition yields polydiacetylenes which are of great importance due to properties associated with their ene-yne conjugated backbones. The polymerization efficiency heavily depends on the molecular arrangement in the crystals. For example, crystals of most DPDA derivatives show no activity for topochemical reaction because the bulky phenyl end groups space out the triple bonds and thus DPDAs require relatively large translation and rotation angles for polymerization. In principle, topochemical reaction is viable if molecules are in optimal arrangement. The upd interlayer can be applied to tune the adsorbate-substrate interactions, intermolecular spacing, and the molecular tilt angle by controlling the coverage of the Ag adlayer. It is thus possible to manipulate the molecular arrangement of DPDAs for the subsequent polymerization. Successful photopolymerization of DPDA monolayers is realized from the decrease in ν_C≡ intensity by infrared reflectance absorbance spectroscopy, growth of ene-yne π-π* transition by UV-vis measurements, and enhanced electrochemical stability by the cathodic desorption protocol. The optimal efficiency of polymerization takes place on upd-modified substrates that can generate ∼45° tilt angle for DPDA derivatives.