Closely stacked oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s: effect of π-stacking on the electronic properties of conjugated chromophores.

In this work, a bicyclo[4.4.1]undecane scaffold is used to hold oligo(phenylene ethynylene) units in a cofacially stacked arrangement along the entire length of the conjugated units. We study the impact that the resulting strong interchain interactions have on the photophysical properties. The length of the individual oligomer branches was varied from three to five rings to investigate the effect of conjugation on the electronic properties of the stacked segments. Absorption and fluorescence spectra were recorded and compared to those of the corresponding unstacked analogues. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations were carried out and helped to rationalize the low-energy features present in the fluorescence spectra of the stacked systems. The calculations indicate that the low-energy emissions are due to the presence of excimer-like states. The stronger intensity of the low-energy fluorescence band observed in the five-ring stacked system compared to the three-ring analogue is attributed to the smaller activation barrier that separates the local intrachain state and the excimer-like state in the former compound.

Multitiered 2D pi-stacked conjugated polymers based on pseudo-geminal disubstituted [2.2]paracyclophane.

Interchain interactions between pi-systems have a strong effect on the electronic structure of conjugated organic materials. This influence has previously been explored by the spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization of molecules in which pairs of conjugated oligomers are held in a stacked fashion by attachment to a rigid scaffold. We have prepared a new polymer which uses a pseudo-geminal disubstituted [2.2]paracyclophane scaffold to hold 1,4-bis(phenylethynyl)-2,5-dialkoxybenzene (PE(3)) chromophores in a pi-stacked fashion over their entire length and in an extended multitier arrangement. Solutions of this new polymer display a Stokes shift of 171 nm, compared to just ca. 30 nm for previous models in which only the terminal phenyl rings of the PE(3) chromophore are held in a stacked arrangement. This suggests that interchain interactions of pi-systems over their entire length in a multitier assembly provides for relaxation of the excited state to a stable "phane" electronic state which is responsible for emission. This stabilization is not available in the stacked dimer or other regioisomers of the polymer which possess lesser degrees of overlap. Thus, the architecture of the soluble polymer mimics that of segments of conjugated polymers in semiconducting thin films and will provide a platform for the exploration of the nature of charge carriers and excitons in these important materials.

Multivalent integrin-specific ligands enhance tissue healing and biomaterial integration.

Engineered biointerfaces covered with biomimetic motifs, including short bioadhesive ligands, are a promising material-based strategy for tissue repair in regenerative medicine. Potentially useful coating molecules are ligands for the integrins, major extracellular matrix receptors that require both ligand binding and nanoscale clustering for maximal signaling efficiency. We prepared coatings consisting of well-defined multimer constructs with a precise number of recombinant fragments of fibronectin (monomer, dimer, tetramer, and pentamer) to assess how nanoscale ligand clustering affects integrin binding, stem cell responses, tissue healing, and biomaterial integration. Clinical-grade titanium was grafted with polymer brushes that presented monomers, dimers, trimers, or pentamers of the alpha(5)beta(1) integrin-specific fibronectin III (7 to 10) domain (FNIII(7-10)). Coatings consisting of trimers and pentamers enhanced integrin-mediated adhesion in vitro, osteogenic signaling, and differentiation in human mesenchymal stem cells more than did surfaces presenting monomers and dimers. Furthermore, ligand clustering promoted bone formation and functional integration of the implant into bone in rat tibiae. This study establishes that a material-based strategy in which implants are coated with clustered bioadhesive ligands can promote robust implant-tissue integration.