Synthesis, photophysical characterization, and hydrogen bonding self-assembly of unsymmetrical N-pyridyl-N′-trialkoxy phenyl perylene diimides

Unsymmetrical N-pyridyl-N′-3,4,5-trialkoxy phenyl perylene diimides (PDIs) with yield of 28–32% were obtained using one-step method and the optimized condition. A consistent decrease of absorption coefficients can be observed by UV–vis absorption spectra when the length of the alkoxy chains increased. The new combination of pyridyl and alkoxy phenyl on perylene diimides leads to hydrogen bonds composites with interesting morphological behaviors.