Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene fused BODIPYs: synthesis, near-infrared luminescence and photosensitive properties

Abstract

The fusion of π-sufficient heteroaryl moieties has proven to be an effective strategy for achieving the red shift of the main spectral bands of BODIPY. In this paper, thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-fused BODIPY derivatives 1 and 2 have been designed and characterized by various spectroscopic methods, and their photosensitive properties have also been explored. Both dyes absorb in the near-infrared region with extremely high molar extinction coefficients, due to the extension of π-conjugation by fusion of the thieno[3,2-b]thiophene moiety. Their fluorescence quantum yields and singlet oxygen generation properties are significantly affected by iodine substitutions; dye 2 displays a moderate singlet oxygen generation value of 0.32, which makes it a potential NIR photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy of cancer in future research.