Synthesis, crystal structure, electrochemical properties and large optical limiting effect of a novel 3-(E)-ferrocenyl-vinyl-N-hexyl carbazole

The novel compound, 3-(E)-ferrocenyl-vinyl-N-hexylcarbazole (FVHC) was first synthesized and fully characterized by elemental analysis, IR, H-1-NMR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet (UV) absorption, cyclic voltammograms (CV) and optical limiting (OL) measurements. The result of single crystal X-ray diffraction for the compound reveals that the ferrocenyl and carbazole groups are approximately coplanar, and bridged by double-bond with E configuration, showing that there is a well-delocalized pi-electron system in the molecule. The electrochemical investigation indicated that the electron in the FVHC may partially be delocalized over the pi-conjugated system and CT process in functionalized carbazole systems. Besides, the compound exhibited strong UV absorption and large optical limiting effect, indicating promising potential applications as useful OL materials.