Toward electron-deficient pyrene derivatives: construction of pyrene tetracarboxylic diimide containing five-membered imide rings

Electron-deficient pyrene-1,2,6,7-tetracarboxylic diimide (PyrDI) and its cyano derivative (PyrDI-CN) have been designed and synthesized as a new family of aromatic diimides. PyrDI has two unexpected five-membered imide rings and can form excimers facilely in the solid state. These new pyrene derivatives are promising n-type semiconductors for organic electronics.