Contorted graphene nanoribbons from vat dyes: synthesis, properties and charge carrier mobility

Abstract

Vat dyes represent an interesting class of building blocks for organic electronics as they are readily available at low cost and easy to functionalize. Yet, these molecules have never been used to prepare graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Using the Brønsted acid-catalyzed alkyne benzannulation, two contorted GNRs have been synthesized from vat orange 1 and vat orange 3 in a few synthetic steps. These GNRs absorb light in the visible region with bandgap values around 2.0 eV and have been tested in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) to measure their charge transport ability. Hole mobility values of up to 1.34 × 10⁻² cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ were measured in a bottom-gate top-contact device architecture.