NIR-Absorbing Dye Based on BF2-Bridged Azafulvene Dimer as a Strong Electron-Accepting Unit.

BF2-bridged azafulvene dimers designed to be strong electron-accepting units were selectively synthesized using a bulky base. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the high electron-accepting ability of this structure stems from the contribution of the π-conjugation mode of the azafulvene dimer upon formation of B-N coordination bonds. As a result of the low-lying LUMO energy of this electron-accepting unit, the corresponding D-A-D dye exhibits an intense NIR absorption band at 922 nm, which tails up to 1150 nm, while significant absorption bands in the visible region are absent. As a NIR dye this molecule exhibits moreover exceptional photostability and resistance to oxidation by atmospheric oxygen, even in dilute solution.