2,7‐Bis(diarylamino)‐9,9‐dimethylfluorenes as Hole‐Transport Materials for Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

2,7‐Bis(p‐methoxyphenyl‐m′‐tolylamino)‐9,9‐dimethylfluorene ( 1′ ), 2,7‐bis(phenyl‐m′‐tolylamino)‐9,9‐dimethylfluorene ( 2′ ) and 2,7‐bis(p‐fluorophenyl‐m′‐tolylamino)‐9,9‐dimethylfluorene ( 3′ ) have been synthesized using the palladium‐catalyzed reaction of the appropriate diarylamines with 2,7‐dibromo‐9,9‐dimethylfluorene. These molecules have glass‐transition temperatures 15–20 °C higher than those for their biphenyl‐bridged analogues, and are 0.11–0.14 V more readily oxidized. Fluorescence spectra and fluorescence quantum yields for dimethylfluorene‐bridged and biphenyl‐bridged species are similar, but the peaks of the absorption spectra of 1′ – 3′ are considerably red‐shifted relative to those of their biphenyl‐bridged analogues. Time‐of‐flight hole mobilities of 1′ – 3′ /polystyrene blends are in a similar range to those of the biphenyl‐bridged analogues. Analysis according to the disorder formalism yields parameters rather similar to those for the biphenyl species, but with somewhat lower zero‐field mobility values. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the enforced planarization of the fluorene bridge leads to a slightly larger reorganization energy for the neutral/cation electron‐exchange reaction than in the biphenyl‐bridged system. Organic light‐emitting diodes have been fabricated using 1′ – 3′ /polystyrene blends as the hole‐transport layer and tris(8‐hydroxy quinoline)aluminium as the electron‐transport layer and lumophore. Device performance shows a correlation with the ionization potential of the amine materials paralleling that seen in biphenyl‐based systems, and fluorene species show similar performance to biphenyl species with comparable ionization potential.     

10‐Bit 200‐MS/s Current‐Steering DAC Using Data‐Dependant Current‐Cell Clock‐Gating

This letter proposes a low‐power current‐steering digital‐to‐analog converter (DAC). The proposed DAC reduces the clock power by cutting the clock signal to the current‐source cells in which the data will not be changed. The 10‐bit DAC is implemented using a 0.13‐μm CMOS process with V_DD=1.2 V. Its area is 0.21 mm². It consumes 4.46 mW at a 1‐MHz signal frequency and 200‐MHz sampling rate. The clock power is reduced to 30.9% and 36.2% of a conventional DAC at 1.25‐MHz and 10‐MHz signal frequencies, respectively. The measured spurious free dynamic ranges are 72.8 dB and 56.1 dB at 1‐MHz and 50‐MHz signal frequencies, respectively.     

A 50‐mA 1‐nF Low‐Voltage Low‐Dropout Voltage Regulator for SoC Applications

In this paper, we present a low‐voltage low‐dropout voltage regulator (LDO) for a system‐on‐chip (SoC) application which, exploiting the multiplication of the Miller effect through the use of a current amplifier, is frequency compensated up to 1‐nF capacitive load. The topology and the strategy adopted to design the LDO and the related compensation frequency network are described in detail. The LDO works with a supply voltage as low as 1.2 V and provides a maximum load current of 50 mA with a drop‐out voltage of 200 mV: the total integrated compensation capacitance is about 40 pF. Measurement results as well as comparison with other SoC LDOs demonstrate the advantage of the proposed topology.     

Colorimetric Logic Gates Based on Poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)‐Coated Gold Nanoparticles

A straightforward end‐capping strategy is applied to synthesize xanthate‐functional poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)s (PAOx) that enable gold nanoparticle functionalization by a direct “grafting to” approach with citrate‐stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Owing to the presence of remaining citrate groups, the obtained PAOx@AuNPs exhibit dual stabilization by repulsive electrostatic and steric interactions giving access to water soluble molecular AND logic gates, wherein environmental temperature and ionic strength constitute the input signals, and the solution color the output signal. The temperature input value could be tuned by variation of the PAOx polymer composition, from 22 °C for poly(2‐ⁿpropyl‐2‐oxazoline)@AuNPs to 85 °C for poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline)@AuNPs. Besides, advancing the fascinating field of molecular logic gates, the present research offers a facile strategy for the synthesis of PAOx@AuNPs of interest in fields spanning nanotechnology and biomedical sciences. In addition, the functionalization of PAOx with xanthate offers straightforward access to thiol‐functional PAOx of high interest in polymer science.     

A Highly Stable,New Electrochromic Polymer: Poly(1,4‐bis(2‐(3′,4′‐ethylenedioxy) thienyl)‐2‐methoxy‐5‐2″‐ethylhexyloxybenzene)

A highly stable new electrochromic polymer, poly(1,4‐bis(2‐(3′,4′‐ethylenedioxy)thienyl)‐2‐methoxy‐5‐2″‐ethylhexyloxybenzene) (P(BEDOT‐MEHB)) was synthesized and its electrochemical and electrochromic properties are reported. P(BEDOT‐MEHB) showed a very well defined electrochemistry with a relatively low oxidation potential of the monomer at + 0.44 V versus Ag/Ag⁺, E_1/2 at – 0.35 V versus Ag/Ag⁺ and stability to long‐term switching up to 5000 cycles. A high level of stability to over‐oxidation has also been observed as this material shows limited degradation of its electroactivity at potentials 1.4 V above its half‐wave potential. Spectroelectrochemistry showed that the absorbance of the π–π* transition in the neutral state is blue‐shifted compared to PEDOT, displaying a maximum at 538 nm (onset at 640 nm), thus giving an almost colorless, highly transparent oxidized polymer with a bandgap of 1.95 eV. Different colors observed at different oxidation levels and strong absorption in the near‐IR make this polymer a good candidate for several applications.     

Controlled Pattern Formation of Poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxyl)–1,4‐phenylenevinylene] (MEH–PPV) by Ink‐Jet Printing

A detailed survey on the processing of poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxyl)–1,4‐phenylenevinylene] (MEH–PPV) solutions via ink‐jet printing and the subsequent characterization of the resulting films is reported. The printability of MEH–PPV dissolved in different solvents, and with varied concentrations, is studied. Limitations of the printability of highly concentrated polymer solutions are overcome by using ultrasonication. The pattern formation of the resulting lines is explained in relation to the contact angle formed by the MEH–PPV solution on the substrate and interchain interactions. A uniform thickness distribution of MEH–PPV films is obtained when toluene is used as the solvent. Further improvement on the surface quality of the lines is achieved by optimizing the printing parameters. The line stability as a function of the print‐head velocity is also studied. Additionally, current–voltage (I–V) characteristics and the morphology of the MEH–PPV films, as determined by atomic force microscopy, are discussed.     

Aggregation‐Enhanced Fluorescence and Two‐Photon Absorption in Nanoaggregates of a 9,10‐Bis[4′‐(4″‐aminostyryl)styryl]anthracene Derivative

This paper reports the design, synthesis, and theoretical modeling of two‐photon properties of a new class of chromophore that exhibits enhanced two‐photon absorption (TPA) and subsequently generated strong up‐converted emission in nanoaggregate forms. This chromophore utilizes the basic structural unit of 9,10‐bis[4′‐(4″‐aminostyryl)styryl]anthracene that exhibits large internal rotation in the monomer form in organic solvents, whereby the fluorescence is greatly reduced. In nanoaggregates formed in water, the internal rotation is considerably hindered, leading to significant increases of TPA and fluorescence quantum yield. Theoretical modeling of the conformational structure and dynamics has utilized a semiempirical pm3 formalism. The TPA cross sections of the monomer and the aggregate states have been calculated on the basis of the quadratic response theory applied to a single‐determinant self‐consistent field reference state making use of a split‐valence 6‐31G* basis set.     

Low‐complexity de‐mapping algorithms for 64‐APSK signals

Due to its high spectrum efficiency, 64‐amplitude phase‐shift keying (64‐APSK) is one of the primary technologies used in deep space communications and digital video broadcasting through satellite‐second generation. However, 64‐APSK suffers from considerable computational complexity because of the de‐mapping method that it employs. In this study, a low‐complexity de‐mapping method for (4 + 12 + 20 + 28) 64‐APSK is proposed in which we take full advantage of the symmetric characteristics of each symbol mapping. Moreover, we map the detected symbol to the first quadrant and then divide the region in this first quadrant into several partitions to simplify the formula. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed method requires no operation of exponents and logarithms and involves only multiplication, addition, subtraction, and judgment. Simulation results validate that the time consumption is dramatically decreased with limited degradation of bit error rate performance.     

Unexpected Sole Enol‐Form Emission of 2‐(2′‐Hydroxyphenyl)oxazoles for Highly Efficient Deep‐Blue‐Emitting Organic Electroluminescent Devices

Considerable efforts have been devoted to the development of highly efficient blue light‐emitting materials. However, deep‐blue fluorescence materials that can satisfy the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.14, 0.08) of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) standard blue and, moreover, possess a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) over 5%, remain scarce. Here, the unusual luminescence properties of triphenylamine‐bearing 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)oxazoles ( 3a–3c ) and their applications in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) are reported as highly efficient deep‐blue emitters. The 3a ‐based device exhibits a high spectral stability and an excellent color purity with a narrow full‐width at half‐maximum of 53 nm and the CIE coordinates of (0.15, 0.08), which is very close to the NTSC standard blue. The exciton utilization of the device closes to 100%, exceeding the theoretical limit of 25% in conventional fluorescent OLEDs. Experimental data and theoretical calculations demonstrate that 3a possesses a highly hybridized local and charge‐transfer excited state character. In OLEDs, 3a exhibits a maximum luminance of 9054 cd m^?2 and an EQE up to 7.1%, which is the first example of highly efficient blue OLEDs based on the sole enol‐form emission of 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)azoles.     

1‐Methyl‐2‐(anthryl)‐imidazo[4,5‐f][1,10]‐phenanthroline: A Highly Efficient Electron‐Transport Compound and a Bright Blue‐Light Emitter for Electroluminescent Devices

A new organic blue‐light emitter 1‐methyl‐2‐(anthryl)‐imidazo[4,5‐f][1,10]‐phenanthroline ( 1 ) has been synthesized and fully characterized. The utility of compound 1 as a blue‐light emitter in electroluminescent (EL) devices has been evaluated by fabricating a series of EL devices A where compound 1 functions as an emitter. The EL spectrum of device series A has the emission maximum at 481 nm with the CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) color coordinates 0.198 and 0.284. The maximum luminance of devices in series A is 4000 cd m^–2 and the best external quantum efficiency of device series A is 1.82 %. The utility of compound 1 as an electron injection–electron transport material has been evaluated by constructing a set of EL devices B where 1 is used as either the electron‐injection layer or the electron injection–electron transport layer. The performance of device series B is compared to the standard device in which Alq₃ (tris(8‐hydroxyquinoline) aluminum) is used as the electron injection–electron transport layer. The experimental results show that the performance of 1 as an electron injection–electron transport material is considerably better than Alq₃. The stability of device series B is comparable to that of the standard Alq₃ device. The excellent performance of 1 as an electron injection/transport material may be attributed to the strong intermolecular interactions of 1 in the solid state as revealed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. In addition, compound 1 is a colorless material with a much larger highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular (HOMO–LUMO) gap than Alq₃, which renders it potentially useful for a wide range of applications in EL devices.     

Monodisperse Starburst Oligofluorene‐Functionalized 4,4′,4″‐Tris(carbazol‐9‐yl)‐triphenylamines: Their Synthesis and Deep‐Blue Fluorescent Properties for Organic Light‐Emitting Diode Applications

Four monodisperse starburst oligomers bearing a 4,4′,4″‐tris(carbazol‐9‐yl)‐triphenylamine (TCTA) core and six oligofluorene arms are synthesized and characterized. The lengths of oligofluorene arms vary from one to four fluorene units, giving the starburst oligomers molecular weights ranging from 3072 to 10 068 Da (1 Da = 1.66 × 10^–27 kg). All of the starburst oligomers have good film‐forming capabilities, and display bright, deep‐blue fluorescence (λ_max = 395–416 nm) both in solution and in the solid state, with the quantum efficiencies of the films (Φ_PL) varying between 27 and 88 %. Electrochemical studies demonstrate that these materials have large energy gaps, and are stable for both p‐doping and n‐doping processes. Electroluminescent devices are successfully fabricated using these materials as hole‐transporting emitters, and emit deep‐blue light. Devices with luminance values up to 1025 cd m^–2 at 11 V and luminous efficiencies of 0.47 cd A^–1 at 100 cd m^–2 have been produced, which translates to an external quantum efficiency of 1.4 %. In addition, these large‐energy‐gap starburst oligomers are good host materials for red electrophosphorescence. The luminance of the red electrophosphorescent devices is as high as 4452 cd m^–2, with a luminous efficiency of 4.31 cd A^–1 at 15 mA cm^–2: This value is much higher than those obtained from the commonly used hole‐transporting materials, such as poly(vinyl carbazole) (PVK) (1.10 cd A^–1 at 16 mA cm^–2).     

A Biomimetic Mussel‐Inspired ε‐Poly‐l‐lysine Hydrogel with Robust Tissue‐Anchor and Anti‐Infection Capacity

In situ hydrogels have attracted considerable attention in tissue engineering because of their minimal invasiveness and ability to match the irregular tissue defects. However, hydrous physiological environments and the high level of moisture in hydrogels severely hamper binding to the target tissue and easily cause wound infection, thereby limiting the effectiveness in wound care management. Thus, forming an intimate assembly of the hydrogel to the tissue and preventing wound infecting still remains a significant challenge. In this study, inspired by mussel adhesive protein, a biomimetic dopamine‐modified ε‐poly‐l ‐lysine‐polyethylene glycol‐based hydrogel (PPD hydrogel) wound dressing is developed in situ using horseradish peroxidase cross‐linking. The biomimetic catechol–Lys residue distribution in PPD polymer provides a catechol–Lys cooperation effect, which endows the PPD hydrogels with superior wet tissue adhesion properties. It is demonstrated that the PPD hydrogel can facilely and intimately integrate with biological tissue and exhibits superior capacity of in vivo hemostatic and accelerated wound repair. In addition, the hydrogels exhibit outstanding anti‐infection property because of the inherent antibacterial ability of ε‐poly‐l ‐lysine. These findings shed new light on the development of mussel‐inspired tissue‐anchored and antibacterial hydrogel materials serving as wound dressings.     

Tailorable Thermal Properties Through Reactive Blending Using Orthogonal Chemistries and Layer‐by‐Layer Deposition of Poly(1,3,5‐hexahydro‐1,3,5‐triazine) Networks

The ability to tune both the thermal and mechanical properties of poly(1,3,5‐hexahydro‐1,3,5‐triazine)s (PHTs) is critical to meet the increasingly stringent demands of structural materials. To this end, PHTs are modified during the process of vitrification using a reactive blending technique. Two strategies are employed: (i) the incorporation of a monomer or oligomer that contains amino end groups that are integrated into the network via hemiaminal chemistry and (ii) the incorporation of functional monomers bearing reactive end groups capable of self‐polymerization, as well as insertion by copolymerization with the PHT‐forming reagents to form mixed networks. Both strategies produce homogeneous materials, mitigating any adverse thermal properties of the parent PHT material. Here, a deposition method bringing the PHT technology platform to more diverse, economical and large‐scale applications is also introduced. A unique layer‐by‐layer spray‐coating approach of solutions containing 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and multifunctional amines obtained by conjugate addition to acrylates is developed, allowing for the preparation of large‐scale PHT‐polymer blend films. The ODA–PHT enables high strength and modulus of the final material, while incorporation of acrylates provide an economical approach to polymer blends with tremendous functional group diversity and will allow for recyclability under mild conditions.     

An FPGA Implementation of High‐Speed Flexible 27‐Mbps 8‐StateTurbo Decoder

In this paper, we propose a flexible turbo decoding algorithm for a high order modulation scheme that uses a standard half‐rate turbo decoder designed for binary quadrature phase‐shift keying (B/QPSK) modulation. A transformation applied to the incoming I‐channel and Q‐channel symbols allows the use of an off‐the‐shelf B/QPSK turbo decoder without any modifications. Iterative codes such as turbo codes process the received symbols recursively to improve performance. As the number of iterations increases, the execution time and power consumption also increase. The proposed algorithm reduces the latency and power consumption by combination of the radix‐4, dual‐path processing, parallel decoding, and early‐stop algorithms. We implement the proposed scheme on a field‐programmable gate array and compare its decoding speed with that of a conventional decoder. The results show that the proposed flexible decoding algorithm is 6.4 times faster than the conventional scheme.     

High Hole Mobility and Thickness‐Dependent Crystal Structure in α,ω‐Dihexylsexithiophene Single‐Monolayer Field‐Effect Transistors

Monolayer‐thickness two‐dimensional layers of α,ω‐dihexylsexithiophene (α,ω‐DH6T) exhibit field‐effect hole mobility of up to 0.032 cm² V^?1 s^?1, higher than previously reported for monolayers of other small‐molecule organic semiconductors. In situ measurements during deposition show that the source‐drain current saturates rapidly after the percolation of monolayer‐high islands, indicating that the electrical properties of α,ω‐DH6T transistors are largely determined by the first molecular monolayer. The α,ω‐DH6T monolayer consists of crystalline islands in which the long axes of molecules are oriented approximately perpendicular to the plane of the substrate surface. In‐plane lattice constants measured using synchrotron grazing‐incidence diffraction are larger in monolayer‐thickness films than the in‐plane lattice constants of several‐monolayer films and of previously reported thick‐film structures. Near‐edge X‐ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) reveals that the larger in‐plane lattice constant of single‐monolayer films arises from a larger tilt of the molecular axis away from the surface normal. NEXAFS spectra at the C 1s and S 2p edges are consistent with a high degree of molecular alignment and with the local symmetry imposed by the thiophene ring. The high mobility of holes in α,ω‐DH6T monolayers can be attributed to the reduction of hole scattering associated with the isolation of the thiophene core from the interface by terminal hexyl chains.     

Non‐Lithographic Fabrication of All‐2D α‐MoTe2 Dual Gate Transistors

As one of the emerging new transition‐metal dichalcogenides materials, molybdenum ditelluride (α‐MoTe₂) is attracting much attention due to its optical and electrical properties. This study fabricates all‐2D MoTe₂‐based field effect transistors (FETs) on glass, using thin hexagonal boron nitride and thin graphene in consideration of good dielectric/channel interface and source/drain contacts, respectively. Distinguished from previous works, in this study, all 2D FETs with α‐MoTe₂ nanoflakes are dual‐gated for driving higher current. Moreover, for the present 2D dual gate FET fabrications on glass, all thermal annealing and lithography processes are intentionally exempted for fully non‐lithographic method using only van der Waal's forces. The dual‐gate MoTe₂ FET displays quite a high hole and electron mobility over ≈20 cm² V^?1 s^?1 along with ON/OFF ratio of ≈10⁵ in maximum as an ambipolar FET and also demonstrates high drain current of a few tens‐to‐hundred μA at a low operation voltage. It appears promising enough to drive organic light emitting diode pixels and NOR logic functions on glass.     

Triphenylphosphonium‐Conjugated Poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐Based Self‐Assembled Nanostructures as Nanosized Drugs and Drug Delivery Carriers for Mitochondria‐Targeting Synergistic Anticancer Drug Delivery

For mitochondria‐targeting delivery, a coupling reaction between poly(ε‐caprolactone) diol (PCL diol) and 4‐carboxybutyltriphenylphosphonium (4‐carboxybutyl TPP) results in the synthesis of amphiphilic TPP‐PCL‐TPP (TPCL) polymers with a bola‐like structure. In aqueous environments, the TPCL polymer self‐assembled via cosolvent dispersion and film hydration, resulting in the formation of cationic nanoparticles (NPs) less than 50 nm in size with zeta‐potentials of approximately 40 mV. Interestingly, different preparation methods for TPCL NPs result in various morphologies such as nanovesicles, nanofibers, and nanosheets. In vitro cytotoxicity results with TPCL NPs indicate IC₅₀ values of approximately 10–60 μg mL^?1, suggesting their potential as anticancer nanodrugs. TPCL NPs can be loaded both with hydrophobic doxorubicin (Dox) and its hydrophilic salt form (Dox·HCl), and their drug loading contents are approximately 2–10 wt% depending on the loading method and the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the drugs. Although Dox·HCl exhibits more cellular and nuclear uptake, resulting in greater antitumor effects than Dox, most drug‐loaded TPCL NPs exhibit higher mitochondrial uptake and approximately 2–7‐fold higher mitochondria‐to‐nucleus preference than free drugs, resulting in superior (approximately 7.5–18‐fold) tumor‐killing activity for most drug‐loaded TPCL NPs compared with free drugs. In conclusion, TPCL‐based nanoparticles have potential both as antitumor nanodrugs themselves and as nanocarriers for chemical therapeutics.     

Copolymer Networks Based on Poly(ω‐pentadecalactone) and Poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)Segments as a Versatile Triple‐Shape Polymer System

Thermo‐sensitive triple‐shape polymers can perform two consecutive shape changes in response to heat. These shape changes correspond to the recovery of two different deformations in reverse order, which were programmed previously at elevated temperature levels (T_mid and T_high) by the application of external stress. Recently, an AB copolymer network was described, which surprisingly exhibited a triple‐shape effect despite being programmed with only one deformation at T_high. Here it is explored whether a copolymer network system can be designed that enables a one‐step deformation process at ambient temperature (cold drawing) as a novel, gentle, and easy‐to‐handle triple‐shape‐creation procedure, in addition to the procedures reported to date, which generally involve deformation(s) at elevated temperature(s). A copolymer‐network system with two crystallizable polyester segments is synthesized and characterized, fulfilling two crucial criteria. These materials can be deformed at ambient temperature by cold drawing and show, even at T_high, which is above the melting points of both switching domains, elongation at break of up to 250%. Copolymer networks with PCL contents of 75 and 50 wt% show a triple‐shape effect after cold drawing with shape‐fixity ratios between 65% and 80% and a total‐shape‐recovery ratio above 97%. Furthermore, in these copolymer networks, the triple‐shape effect can be obtained after a one‐step deformation at T_high. Independent of the temperature at which the deformation is applied (ambient temperature or T_high), copolymer networks that have the same compositions show similar switching temperatures and proportioning of the recovery in two steps. The two‐step programming procedure enables a triple‐shape effect in copolymer networks for an even broader range of compositions. This versatile triple‐shape‐material system based on tailored building blocks is an interesting candidate material for applications in fixation systems or disassembling systems.