Synthesis, electronic, and photophysical properties of cruciform OPE/OPV hybrid oligomer bridged bisfullerene triads

A series of cruciform-shaped phenyleneethynylene and phenylenevinylene hybrid oligomers was prepared via a sequence of Sonogashira reactions. Using an in situ ethynylation protocol, these oligomers were end-functionalized with bis(fullerenyl) groups at the termini of the oligomers. Spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of these novel bisfullerene triads were studied in detail by UV-vis, fluorescence, and cyclic voltammetric analyses, and the results of these investigations are reported.