Supramolecular organization and photovoltaics of triangle-shaped discotic graphenes with swallow-tailed alkyl substituents

Two novel triangle-shaped discotic graphenes with swallow-like alkyl tails are synthesized; these discotic graphenes allow facile purification, control over thermotropic properties, and solution fabrication into efficient photovoltaic devices. The unique molecular design results in an extremely broad liquid-crystalline range and the ability to self-heal at low processing temperatures, which improves the performance of photovoltaic cells.