Synthesis, photophysical and electrochemical properties of perylene dyes

• New perylene dyes.
• Dyes with intense absorption in visible range.
• Dyes with high molar absorption coefficients.
• Promising sensitizers for solid-state DSC.

Perylene dyes comprising: (i) 4-alkoxyphenylamino moiety in the 9-position as a strong donating group, (ii) cyanoacrylic acid as electron acceptor and anchoring group and (iii) a triple bond as short and rigid linker between perylene core and the acceptor group have been successfully synthesized. Their photophysical (i.e. absorption and emission spectra, molar extinction coefficients, fluorescence quantum yields and lifetime measurements) and electrochemical properties were investigated. The dyes display intense absorption in the visible exhibit high molar absorption coefficients making them good light harvesting materials for ss-DSCs.