Highly soluble cyclic dibenzophenazine heterodimer enabled by a tetra-functionalized building block

Abstract A cyclic heterodimer of dibenzo[a,j]phenazine (DBPHZ) has been synthesized using a novel tetra-functionalized DBPHZ building block bearing bulky siloxy and dibromo substituents. Siloxy groups markedly enhanced the solubility of both the resulting intermediates and the macrocycle, enabling facile purification and systematic photophysical studies. The heterodimer exhibits locally excited fluorescence with minimal solvent dependence in solutions and pronounced aggregation-induced red-shifted emission in the films. This study demonstrates a molecular design strategy to enhance solubility and processability of nitrogen-embedded π-conjugated macrocycles.