Metal-organic frameworks bearing aromatic diimides as ligands and their optical, photophysical and photoelectrochemical properties

Abstract

1,4,5,8-naphthalene and 3,4,9,10-perylene diimides are organic compounds that possess rich optical and electronic properties and both thermal and chemical stability. They are easily synthesized or modified and are suitable ligands for transition metal complexes or metal-organic frameworks. These frameworks have long-distance organization with many different organizations and geometries which can be tuned according to the metal center or reaction conditions. Usually they have nanosized pores within their regular structure that make them excellent at selective adsorption of gases such as CO2 and N2. Metal-organic frameworks bearing aromatic diimides as ligands show selective adsorption of gases and are luminescent and electrochemically active as well. In theory, they can even form structures that behave like synthetic metals but there is still a lack of unified studies exploring their optical and electronic properties. Hence, the aim of the project is to synthesize, characterize and to systematically study metal-organic frameworks using 1,4,5,8-naphthalene and 3,4,9,10-perylene diimides with different metal centers which can provide desirable properties, such as cobalt, ruthenium, copper, platinum and silver. These compounds can be synthesized using known methods such as the condensation of the diimide dianhydrides with amines and the metal-organic frameworks can self-assemble under appropriated conditions. This work also aims to study the application of these compounds as optical or electrochemical sensors and as components of electrical devices such as transistors and solar cells.