Molecular design of furanoacene-based singlet fission sensitizers combining diradical character and cross-substitution

Singlet fission (SF) suffers from the scarcity of available SF chromophores and sensitizers. Tetracene, pentacene and their derivatives, are two typical model systems for the study of SF photophysical phenomena. Herein, the analogues of polyacenes, furanoacenes and their derivatives, were evaluated as potential SF chromophores and sensitizers through a theoretical study. The primary photostability were evaluated by the frontier molecular orbital energy levels, diradical characters and SF relevant excited state energies according to the type-I and −II photodegradation mechanisms. The cross-substitutions by combining central substitutions with triple bonds and terminal substituents enhance photostability, tune the SF relevant excited states efficiently, and give more appropriate E(T₁) to be SF sensitizers. This work helps to give better understanding of the electronic structures and SF capability of furanoacenes.