Styryl Bodipy-C60 dyads as efficient heavy-atom-free organic triplet photosensitizers.

C60-styryl Bodipy dyads that show strong absorption of visible light (ε = 64,600 M(-1) cm(-1) at 657 nm) and a long-lived triplet excited state (τT = 123.2 μs) are prepared. The dyads were used as heavy-atom-free organic triplet photosensitizers for photooxidation of 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene via the photosensitizing of singlet oxygen ((1)O2). The photooxidation efficiency of the dyads compared to the conventional Ir(III) complex (1)O2 photosensitizer increased 19-fold.