We report the facile synthesis of asymmetric perylene diimides (asym-PDIs) using readily available reagents, demonstrating their distinct photoluminescent properties. In CHCl3, asym-PDIs exhibit higher solubility compared to traditional perylene dyes, of which solubilities can be varied by substituent selections. Among them, UV-vis absorption spectra of CPE in CHCl3 solution displayed no aggregate peaks in the ground state, maintaining high photoluminescent quantum yields. Also, CPE can be readily dispersed into poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA (CPE-PMMA), forming thin films without aggregate formation. Importantly, the emission color of CPE-PMMA thin films significantly changes with the addition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These color changes should be strongly correlated with the HOMO level of the added PAHs.
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