LAUSR

Among photothermal materials, perylene diimide radical anions were promising organic candidates with intense and characteristic near-infrared (NIR) absorption bands and non-fluorescence. Herein, two isolable and ambient stable bay-substituted perylene diimide radical anion salts, namely DBrPDI radical anion salt and TPPDI radical anion salt, were facilely prepared and confirmed by using a very thorough analysis based on the data from UV–Vis/NIR, FL, FTIR, EPR and NMR spectra. Subsequently, two radical anion salts were applied as photothermal conversion agents. DBrPDI radical anion salt exhibited high-performance photothermal conversion in DMF solutions, however a decline in aqueous solution. TPPDI radical anion salt with bulky moieties onto the PDI cores and amine position gave substantial evidence that the photothermal properties could be optimized and enhanced in aqueous solution by modulating the chemical structure of the photothermal conversion agent.