Effect of Metal Anode on the Reversible Electroreduction Process of Perylene Diimide

Perylene diimide radical anions (PDI –• ) prepared by through photoelectric doping are capable of reducing aromatic halides and achieving aromatic hydrocarbon coupling. The active of electrically doped PDI –• is dependent on the conditions of electroreduction (e.g. electrode material), but little attention has been paid to the influence of electrode material, voltage, and electroreduction time on the activity of PDI –• . In this paper, we compared the active of PDI –• produced by different electrode materials, different reduction voltages and different reduction times based on the difference in UV-vis absorption spectra. In contrast to the characteristic absorption spectra of the anion of the PDI –• , the metal electrodes with certain reducing properties, such as zinc and magnesium, stabilize the radical anion and reduce the PDI –• activity due to the generation of positive zinc and magnesium ions during the electroreduction process.