Stimuli Responsive Stable Radical Anion for Conductance Switching

Radical anions are important for
various uses. However, their generation
and stabilization under ambient conditions, which are essential for
actual applications, are challenging. A photogenerated NDI-based radical-anion
that is stable even in water for more than a month is reported here.
The design, synthesis, and the generation of the radical-anion and
its stability have been discussed. The photogenerated radical-anion
form a stacked supramolecular architecture structure that conducts
electricity with a linear I–V curve. This system offers a photoresponsive turn-on behavior of
conductance with a response ratio (I366nm/Iunexposed) of 22 million of the UV
light-exposed samples compared to its neutral precursor.