Novel Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based π-Conjugated Molecules Synthesized Via One-Pot Direct Arylation Reaction

Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) is an important type of π-conjugated building block for high-performance organic electronic materials. DPP-based conjugated materials are usually synthesized via Suzuki, Stille, or Negishi cross-coupling reactions, which require organometallic precursors. In this paper, a series of novel phenyl-cored DPP molecules, including five meta-phenyl-cored molecules and four para-phenyl-cored molecules, have been synthesized in moderate to good yields, in a facile manner, through the Pd-catalyzed direct arylation of C-H bonds, and their optoelectrical properties have been investigated in detail. All new molecules have been fully characterized by NMR, MALDI-TOF MS, elemental analysis, UV-visible spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. This synthetic strategy has evident advantages of atom- and step-economy and low cost, compared with traditional cross-coupling reactions.