Host–Guest Chemistry between Perylene Diimide (PDI) Derivatives and 18-Crown-6: Enhancement in Luminescence Quantum Yield and Electrical Conductivity

Perylene diimide (PDI) derivatives exhibit a high propensity for aggregation, which causes the aggregation-induced quenching of emission from the system. Host–guest chemistry is one of the best-known methods for preventing aggregation through the encapsulation of guest molecules. Herein we report the use of 18-crown-6 (18-C-6) as a host system to disaggregate suitably substituted PDI derivatives in methanol. 18-C-6 formed complexes with amino-substituted PDIs in methanol, which led to disaggregation and enhanced emission from the systems. Furthermore, the embedding of the PDI⋅18-C-6 complexes in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films generated remarkably high emission quantum yields (60–70 %) from the PDI derivatives. More importantly, the host–guest systems were tested for their ability to conduct electricity in PVA films. The electrical conductivities of the self-assembled systems in PVA were measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the highest conductivity observed was 2.42×10−5S cm−1.