Functionalized Acenes for Electronic and Optical Applications

This proposal describes the high-yield preparation of selectively functionalized acenes. Ac~nes as a cl?ss of ~raphite substructures are particularly attractive targets in the synthesIS of orgamc semIconductors because of the predicted low band gap of the polymer, and the usefulness that acene oligomers such as pentacene are already showing in numerous electronics applications. Solubilized acenes have received limited attention due to their synthetic inaccessibility, and the main factors involved in pr~paring, solubilizing and stabilizing polycyclic aromatic systems are a major focus of thIS proposal. We also propose to investigate the utilization of more easily processed small oligomeric acenes for conductive purposes, by tailoring these smaller molecules to self-assemble into tightly interacting networks. Pendant groups on the acene backbone will be adjusted to modify the electronic and redox properties of the resulting materials, to allow the finest degree of control of their electronic properties, as well as to stabilize these oxidatively sensitive compounds.