Recently, third-order nonlinear properties of porphyrins and porphyrin polymers and coordination compounds have been extensively studied in relation to their use in photomedicine and molecular photonics. A new functionalized porphyrin dye containing electron-rich alkynes was synthesized and further modified by formal [2+2] click reactions with click reagents tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) and 7, 7, 8, 8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). The photophysical properties of these porphyrin dyes, as well as the click reaction, were studied by UV/Vis spectroscopy. In particular, third-order nonlinear optical properties of the dyes, which showed typical D-π-A structures, were characterized by Z-scan techniques. In addition, the self-assembly properties were investigated through the phase-exchange method, and highly organized morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of the click post-functionalization on the properties of the porphyrins were studied, and these functionalized porphyrin dyes represent an interesting set of candidates for optoelectronic device components.

The NH₂-terminated mesogenic group 4-(6-amine-hexyloxy)-4*-cyan-biphenyl is chemically grafted onto the carboxylic groups of graphene oxide (GO) through an amidation reaction. The resultant mesogenic-group-modified GO sheets (GO-LC) are redispersed easily in common organic solvents, facilitating the structure characterization and device fabrication by solution processing. Broad-band reflectors are obtained by doping different contents of GO-LC nanosheets into chiral nematic liquid crystalline (N*-LCs) media with a photopolymerization process. The experimental results show that both the bandwidth of the reflection spectrum and the location of the reflection band of the GO-LC-doped composite films are better than those of the N*-LCs sample without GO-LC doping. The effects of polymerization temperature and amount of GO-LC dopant on the broad-band reflection of the N*-LC composite films are investigated.

A series of functionalized porphyrin molecules containing electron-rich alkynes, synthesized by means of the Sonogashira coupling reaction were further modified by reacting the ethynyl groups with click reagent through a formal [2+2] click reaction. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the porphyrin derivatives were studied by UV/Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. We show that the optoelectronic properties are affected by the click reagent groups and central metal ions. The functionalized porphyrin molecules show strong charge-transfer (CT) bands in the visible region (near-IR region) and potent redox activities. Through a phase-exchange self-assembly method, the highly organized morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The functionalized porphyrin molecules represent an interesting set of candidates for optoelectronic device components. The effect of the metal ions or click reagent groups on the self-assembly properties were also studied by the UV/Vis spectroscopic titration experiments.

A series of asymmetric triphenylene derivatives containing typical D–π–A structures is successfully synthesized by means of [2+2] cycloaddition–cycloreversion click reactions. The photophysical and electrochemical properties, as well as the click reactions, are characterized by means of UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and DFT modulations. In addition, the third-order nonlinear properties, including the nonlinear absorption and the nonlinear susceptibilities, are investigated by using Z-scan techniques. A typical reverse saturable absorption–saturable absorption behavior is observed for the third-order nonlinear absorption, with the third-order nonlinear susceptibilities of the compounds being 1.05×10⁻¹², −1.50×10⁻¹², and −0.52×10⁻¹² esu, respectively.