Multichromic Bis-Axially Extended Perylene Chromophore with Schiff Bases: Synthesis, Characterization and Electrochemical Studies.

In the present paper a novel way of symmetric conjugation extension along molecular axes of perylene dianhydride chromophore has been devised to achieve lengthy delocalized electronic species exhibiting red shifted absorption and emission of UV-Visible radiations. During synthetic pathway free amino Schiff bases of novel aldehydes with 4-amino acetanilide have been condensed with perylene dianhydride in quinoline at high temperature. Bis perylene diimide Schiff bases (5a-e) have been synthesized which showed absorption λmax at 461-526 nm and emission at 525-550 nm. Structures of newly obtained compounds have been confirmed by 1H and 13C-NMR studies. Cyclic voltammetric analysis of these dyes exhibited oxidation and reduction peaks which provide indirect evidence for their potential utility as n-type material for sensitization of semiconductors in solar cells. LUMO and HOMO energy levels were found in the range of -4.21 to -5.20 and -6.75 to -7.57 eV, respectively. Graphical Abstract Multi chromic bis-axially extended perylene chromophore with Schiff bases, synthesis characterization and electrochemical studies. Ghulam Shabir, Aamer Saeed, Muhammad Arshad and Muhammad Zahid.