Synthesis, photophysical and electrochemical properties of novel conjugated donor-acceptor molecules based on phenothiazine and benzimidazole

Two series of new organic fluorophores such as asymmetrical 3-(benzimidazol-2-yl)-10-hexylphenothiazine derivatives 1 and symmetrical 3,7-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)-10-hexylphenothiazine derivatives 2 have been synthesized. Electronic absorption, fluorescence, and electrochemistry measurements reveal that the electron withdrawing benzimidazole subunit directly connected to the phenothiazine core facilitates the charge transfer characters which were also verified by the theoretical calculations. Various substituents on the benzimidazole moieties can allow a fine-tuning of the LUMO energy levels of the molecules without significantly affecting the HOMO energy levels. The method provides a new route for designing ambipolar molecules whose energy levels are well-matched with the Fermi levels of the electrodes to facilitate the electron or hole injection/transfer in OLED devices.