Synthesis and Characterization of a Helicene-Based Imidazolium Salt and Its Application in Organic Molecular Electronics
Abstract
Herein we demonstrate the synthesis of a helicene- based imidazolium salt. The salt was prepared by starting from racemic 2-methyl[6]helicene, which undergoes radical bromination to yield 2-(bromomethyl)[6]helicene.
Subsequent treatment with 1-butylimidazole leads to the corresponding salt 1-butyl-3-(2-methyl[6]helicenyl)- imidazolium bromide. The prepared salt was subsequently characterized by using NMR spectroscopy and X-ray analysis, various optical spectrometric techniques, and computational chemistry tools.
Finally, the imidazolium salt was immobilized onto a SiO2 substrate as a crystalline or amorphous deposit. The deposited layers were used for the development of organic molecular semiconductor devices and the construction of a fully reversible humidity sensor.