Perylene‐fused, Aggregation‐free Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons for Solution‐processed Distributed Feedback Lasers

: Perylene-fused, aggregation-free polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with partial zigzag periphery (ZY-01, ZY-02, and ZY-03) were synthesized. X-ray crystallographic analysis reveals that there is no intermolecular π-π stacking in all three molecules, and as a result, they show moderate-to-high photoluminescence quantum yield in both solution and solid state. They also display characteristic absorption and emission spectra of perylene dyes. ZY-01 and ZY-02 with a nearly planar π-conjugated skeleton exhibit amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) when dispersed in polystyrene thin films. All solution-processed distributed feedback lasers have been fabricated using ZY-01 and ZY-02 as active gain materials, both showing narrow emission linewidth (< 0.4 nm) at wavelengths around 515 and 570 nm, respectively. On the other hand, ZY-03 did not show ASE and lasing, presumably due to its highly twisted backbone, which facilitates non-radiative internal conversion and intersystem crossing.