Synthesis, characterization, and bipolar transporting behavior of a new twisted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon: 1',4'-diphenyl-naphtho-(2'.3':1.2)-pyrene-6'-nitro-7'-methyl carboxylate.

An asymmetric twistacene, 1',4'-diphenyl-naphtho-(2'.3':1.2)-pyrene-6'-nitro-7'-methyl carboxylate (tetracene 2), was synthesized by using benzyne-trapping chemistry. Its structure, determined by X-ray crystallography, confirmed that this material has a twisted topology with torsion angles as high as 23.8(3) degrees. Organic light-emitting devices using tetracene 2 as either charge-transporting materials or emitters have been fabricated. The results indicate that this material has bipolar transporting behavior in these devices.