Anthracene-Fused Oligo-BODIPYs: A New Class of π-Extended NIR-Absorbing Materials

Labella, J., Durán-Sampedro, G., Krishna, S., Martínez-Díaz, M. V., Guldi, D. M., Torres, T., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202214543. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202214543

Large π-conjugated systems are key in the area of molecular materials. Herein, we prepare via AuI-catalyzed cyclization a series of fully π-conjugated anthracene-fused oligo-BODIPYs. Their structural and optoelectronic properties were studied by several techniques, ranging from X-ray, UV/Vis, and cyclic voltammetry to transient absorption spectroscopy. As a complement, their electronic structures were explored by means of Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Depending on the size and shape of the π-conjugated skeleton, unique features—such as face-to-face supramolecular organization, NIR absorption and fluorescence as well as strong electron accepting character—were noted. All in all, the aforementioned features render them valuable for technological applications.