A Oligothiophene-Fullerene Dyad

Significance

A novel oligothiophene 1 and its fullerene derivative 2 were synthesized in order to investigate their film morphologies and photo-physical and photovoltaic properties. The authors noticed that the fullerene group inherently possesses a self-aggregation tendency and the π-π interaction of the oligothiophene also works to form supramolecular self-assembled architecture. The oligothiophene 1 was synthesized via a Stille cross-coupling of 3 and 4, followed by acid-catalyzed cleavage of tetrahydropyranyl ether (THP). The final step was accomplished via subsequent esterification of 1 with the fullerene derivative 6 to afford the dyad 2.