Nanographene favors electronic interactions with an electron acceptor rather than an electron donor in a planar fused push–pull conjugate

Graphene films have attracted a lot attention due to their potential application in nanoelectronic devices. Noncovalent functionalization of graphene does not disrupt the extended π-conjugation. Incorporation of intercalators in the form of redox- and/or photoactive building blocks enables the usage of electron donor-acceptor (D–A) interactions. Accordingly, the noncovalent functionalization of nanographene (NG) or graphene sheets with either aromatic electron donors or acceptors, as demonstrated in the case of carbon nanotubes, is widely exploited in contemporary research. Herein, we report the exfoliation of graphite via intercalation and immobilization of planar pi-conjugates tetrathiafulvalene–perylenediimide (TTF–PDI). The resultant nanohybrids have been characterized by complementary spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.