Electronic Absorption, Emission and Two-Photon Absorption Properties of Some Functional 1,3,5-Triphenylbenzenes

Abstract

We report herein the linear optical properties of some extended 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene derivatives 1,3,5-[(1, 4-C6H4)C≡C(4-C6H4X)]3(C6H3) (3-X; X=NO2, CN, H, OMe, NMe2, NPh2) and briefly discuss the two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-sections determined for the derivatives featuring the most electron-rich substituents, contrasting their 2PA performance with the 2PA values previously gathered for their triphenylisocyanurate analogues N,N’,N”-[(1, 4-C6H4)C≡C(4-C6H4X)]3(N3{C(O)}3) (1-X). When functionalized by electron-releasing substituents at their periphery, 3-X derivatives are potent substitutes for 1-X compounds in NLO applications, especially when maximal transparency is not required in the visible range. Some rationalization of this unexpected outcome is proposed based on DFT calculations.