Synthetic Routes to Core-fluorinated Perylene Bisimide Dyes and their Properties

Abstract

Numerous core-fluorinated perylene bisimide (PBI) dyes with various substituents at the imide positions have been synthesized by different methods. Core-difluorinated PBIs 4a-f are obtained by imidization of difluoro-substituted perylene bisanhydride 1 with appropriate primary amines or, alternatively, by nucleophilic halogen exchange reactions (Halex process) of the corresponding dibromosubstituted PBIs 2a-d,f with potassium fluoride. Core-tetrafluorinated PBIs 5a-c could also be synthesized by halogen exchange reactions of the respective tetrachlorinated PBIs 3a-c. In particular, core-fluorinated perylene bisimide pigments 4h, 5h containing hydrogen atoms in the imide positions could be obtained for the first time by deprotection of α-methylbenzyl-substituted precursors. Compared with core-unsubstituted perylene bisimides, these fluorinated dyes display hypsochromically shifted absorption and fluorescence spectra, and they exhibit fluorescence quantum yields up to unity, enabling bright yellow emission. The electrochemical properties of these electron-poor perylene bisimides have been studied. Furthermore, the packing features of a tetrafluorinated PBI derivative in the solid state have been discussed.