Donor–Acceptor–Donor 1<i>H</i>-Benzo[<i>d</i>]imidazole Derivatives as Optical Waveguides
Carlos Tardío,
Javier Álvarez Conde,
Ana María Rodríguez,
Pilar Prieto,
Antonio de la Hoz,
Juan Cabanillas-González,
Iván Torres-Moya
Affiliations
Carlos Tardío
Department of Inorganic, Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Castilla-La Mancha-IRICA, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Javier Álvarez Conde
Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies, IMDEA Nanociencia, Calle Faraday 9, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Ana María Rodríguez
Department of Inorganic, Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Castilla-La Mancha-IRICA, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Pilar Prieto
Department of Inorganic, Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Castilla-La Mancha-IRICA, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Antonio de la Hoz
Department of Inorganic, Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Castilla-La Mancha-IRICA, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Juan Cabanillas-González
Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies, IMDEA Nanociencia, Calle Faraday 9, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Iván Torres-Moya
Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30010 Murcia, Spain
A new series of donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) structures derived from arylethynyl 1H-benzo[d]imidazole was synthesized and processed into single crystals with the goal of testing such crystals’ ability to act as optical waveguides. Some crystals displayed luminescence in the 550–600 nm range and optical waveguiding behavior with optical loss coefficients around 10−2 dB/μm, which indicated a notable light transport. The crystalline structure, confirmed by X-ray diffraction, contains internal channels that are important for light propagation, as we previously reported. The combination of a 1D assembly, a single crystal structure, and notable light emission properties with low losses from self-absorption made 1H-benzo[d]imidazole derivatives appealing compounds for optical waveguide applications.
