A material to function as a molecular electronic device should have a strong coupling with electrodes through appropriate and well-defined anchoring groups and have to support an effective traveling of charges via a conjugated molecular backbone. Oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s are π-conjugated molecules having large applicability in several areas of organic electronics owing interesting semiconducting properties and they also hold great promises in the field of single-molecule electronics. Polymerization methods, in principle, allow construction of long conjugated systems in a single synthetic step, however, most of them lack precision. This work uses externally initiated chain-growth Kumada Catalyst - Transfer Polycondensation (KCTP) for the synthesis of semiconductive oligo(3-hexylthiophene) wires with controllable molecular weights, low polydispersities, high regioregularities as well as with well-defined starting and end groups. In such a way, the synthetic efforts were compromised to obtain relatively easy a series of very complex molecular wires with a reasonable structural precision. To modulate the electronic function of oligomer backbones, specific charge-transfer moieties (DMA-TCBD and Fc-TCBD) were inserted as side chains or end groups. In-situ termination of KCTP with ZnCl-functionalized electron rich alkynes followed by Diederich-type click reaction resulted in the synthesis of asymmetrical oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s having thiolate-functionalized starting groups and donor-functionalized end-groups with a high degree of end-group functionalizations. Side chains of double-thiolate functionalized oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s, on the other hand, were further modified with the insertion of charge-transfer groups by post-polymerization functionalization. While the facile synthesis and modification of oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s enable the control over the molecular backbone, the specific starting and end anchoring groups allow the control over the electrode oligomer interface. To assure the formation of alligator clips between oligomer backbone and Au electrode, the optimizations including proper end-group conversion into mild counterparts followed by in-situ deprotection into thiolates and the binding abilities on gold were investigated. Finally, the conductance of bis-end functionalized oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s was preliminarily studied through oligomer backbone by Mechanically Controllable Break Junctions (MCBJs) setup and through oligomer-attached DNA origami-templated gold nanowires by individual electrical contacts. The developed KCTP-based synthetic route, at the end, presents new opportunities for the facile synthesis, the ease of modification and the feasibility of asymmetrical and side chain functionalized oligo(3-hexylthiophene) wires for needs of molecular electronics.

A material to function as a molecular electronic device should have a strong coupling with electrodes through appropriate and well-defined anchoring groups and have to support an effective traveling of charges via a conjugated molecular backbone. Oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s are π-conjugated molecules having large applicability in several areas of organic electronics owing interesting semiconducting properties and they also hold great promises in the field of single-molecule electronics. Polymerization methods, in principle, allow construction of long conjugated systems in a single synthetic step, however, most of them lack precision. This work uses externally initiated chain-growth Kumada Catalyst - Transfer Polycondensation (KCTP) for the synthesis of semiconductive oligo(3-hexylthiophene) wires with controllable molecular weights, low polydispersities, high regioregularities as well as with well-defined starting and end groups. In such a way, the synthetic efforts were compromised to obtain relatively easy a series of very complex molecular wires with a reasonable structural precision. To modulate the electronic function of oligomer backbones, specific charge-transfer moieties (DMA-TCBD and Fc-TCBD) were inserted as side chains or end groups. In-situ termination of KCTP with ZnCl-functionalized electron rich alkynes followed by Diederich-type click reaction resulted in the synthesis of asymmetrical oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s having thiolate-functionalized starting groups and donor-functionalized end-groups with a high degree of end-group functionalizations. Side chains of double-thiolate functionalized oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s, on the other hand, were further modified with the insertion of charge-transfer groups by post-polymerization functionalization. While the facile synthesis and modification of oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s enable the control over the molecular backbone, the specific starting and end anchoring groups allow the control over the electrode oligomer interface. To assure the formation of alligator clips between oligomer backbone and Au electrode, the optimizations including proper end-group conversion into mild counterparts followed by in-situ deprotection into thiolates and the binding abilities on gold were investigated. Finally, the conductance of bis-end functionalized oligo(3-hexylthiophene)s was preliminarily studied through oligomer backbone by Mechanically Controllable Break Junctions (MCBJs) setup and through oligomer-attached DNA origami-templated gold nanowires by individual electrical contacts. The developed KCTP-based synthetic route, at the end, presents new opportunities for the facile synthesis, the ease of modification and the feasibility of asymmetrical and side chain functionalized oligo(3-hexylthiophene) wires for needs of molecular electronics.