New sulfonated perylene diimide pyrazolate ligands: a simple route toward n-type redox-active hybrid materials

We report the synthesis and the in depth electrochemical study of two novel electron accepting sulfonated perylene diimide pyrazolate ligands. Bridging the sulfone moieties of the perylene core unexpectedly affected the optical and electronic properties as evidenced by spectroelectrochemical investigation. Notably, we achieved a significant lowering of the LUMO level to -4.83 eV, ranking the ligand among the best electron acceptors via a straightforward synthetic procedure. These ligands can be foreseen for the development of n-type functional materials.

Automated summary

We report the synthesis and in-depth electrochemical study of two novel electron-accepting sulfonated perylene diimide pyrazolate ligands. Bridging the sulfone moieties of the perylene core unexpectedly affected the optical and electronic properties, as shown by spectroelectrochemical investigation. Notably, we successfully achieved a significant lowering of the LUMO level to -4.83 eV, making the ligand one of the best electron acceptors through a straightforward synthetic procedure. These ligands have the potential for the development of n-type functional materials.