Fabrication of luminescent perylene bisimide nanorods

Perylene bisimides have attracted great interest as a result of their unique electrical and photophysical properties. In the present investigation a N,N′-bis(2-naphthalene-2-yl)perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide was synthesized from 2-aminonaphthalene and perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride. Structure and purity were confirmed by mass, NMR and other spectral techniques. Photophysical and electrochemical properties were investigated by UV–vis, fluorescence, differential scanning calorimetry and cyclic voltammetric techniques. Optical, fluorescence, scanning and transmission electron microscopies were employed in the molecular self-assembly studies. The compound self-assembled into nanorods. The competition and co-operation between the intermolecular π–π-stacking and hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions are suggested for the observed nanostructure.