This comprehensive review surveys developments over the past decade in the field of naphthalene diimides (NDIs). It explores their application toward: supramolecular chemistry; sensors; host–guest complexes for molecular switching devices, such as catenanes and rotaxanes; ion-channels by ligand gating; gelators for sensing aromatic systems; catalysis through anion−π interactions; and NDI intercalations with DNA for medicinal applications. We have also explored new designs, synthesis, and progress in the field of core-substituted naphthalene diimides (cNDIs), and their implications in areas such as artificial photosynthesis and solar cell technology. Also presented are some interesting synthetic routes and procedures that can be used toward further development of NDI-bearing compounds for future applications. Finally, we conclude with our views on NDI chemistry for future research endeavors, and we outline what we believe are the key obstacles that need to be overcome for NDIs to see real world applications.

Functional Naphthalene Diimides: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

Current lithium ion battery technologies suffer from challenges derived from the eco-toxicity, costliness, and energetic inefficiency of contemporary inorganic materials used in these devices. Small organic molecules containing polycyclic aromatic moieties and polar functional groups have recently been presented as attractive electron donors that bind lithium and other small metal ions. This has endowed them with the potential to replace traditional inorganic electrodes consisting of metal composites. A family of naturally occurring carbonyl compounds, or quinones, have been of particular interest to the scientific community. However, they themselves have been plagued by issues of low voltages, poor conductivity, and capacity fading due to solubility in common polar electrolytes. Herein, we review a number of theoretical and experimental solutions to this problem, which include the use of heterocyclic derivatives, polymers, and conductive supramolecular carbon frameworks as electrochemical property enhancers, or stabilizers, of potential organic electrodes. This review focuses on the benign synthesis, current status, and future direction of organic battery materials with the aim of developing sustainable energy storage systems to meet the demands of a greener future.

Power from nature: designing green battery materials from electroactive quinone derivatives and organic polymers

In times of spreading mobile devices, organic batteries represent a promising approach to replace the well-established lithium-ion technology to fulfill the growing demand for small, flexible, safe, as well as sustainable energy storage solutions. In the last years, large efforts have been made regarding the investigation and development of batteries that use organic active materials since they feature superior properties compared to metal-based, in particular lithium-based, energy-storage systems in terms of flexibility and safety as well as with regard to resource availability and disposal. This Review compiles an overview over the most recent studies on the topic. It focuses on the different types of applied active materials, covering both known systems that are optimized and novel structures that aim at being established.

Sustainable Energy Storage: Recent Trends and Developments toward Fully Organic Batteries.

In this review, we describe the developments in the field of naphthalene diimides (NDIs) from 2016 to the presentday. NDIs are shown to be an increasingly interesting class of molecules due to their electronic properties, large electron deficient aromatic cores and tendency to self-assemble into functional structures. Almost all NDIs possess high electron affinity, good charge carrier mobility, and excellent thermal and oxidative stability, making them promising candidates for applications in organic electronics, photovoltaic devices, and flexible displays. NDIs have also been extensively studied due to their potential real-world uses across a wide variety of applications including supramolecular chemistry, sensing, host–guest complexes for molecular switching devices, such as catenanes and rotaxanes, ion-channels, catalysis, and medicine and as non-fullerene accepters in solar cells. In recent years, NDI research with respect to supramolecular assemblies and mechanoluminescent properties has also gained considerable traction. Thus, this review will assist a wide range of readers and researchers including chemists, physicists, biologists, medicinal chemists and materials scientists in understanding the scope for development and applicability of NDI dyes in their respective fields through a discussion of the main properties of NDI derivatives and of the status of emerging applications.

Naphthalene diimides: perspectives and promise.

Converting sewage sludge into functional environmental materials has become an attractive sewage sludge disposal route. In this study, we synthesize a sewage sludge-based material via a facile one-pot hydrothermal carbonization method and construct a visible light molecular oxygen activation system with hydrothermally carbonized sewage sludge (HTC-S) and oxalate to degrade various organic pollutants. It was found that iron species of HTC-S could chelate with oxalate to generate H2O2 via molecular oxygen activation under visible light, and also promote the H2O2 decomposition to produce •OH for the fast organic pollutants degradation. Taking sulfadimidine as the example, the apparent degradation rate of HTC-S/oxalate system was almost 5–20 times that of iron oxides/oxalate system. This outstanding degradation performance was attributed to the presence of iron-containing clay minerals in HTC-S, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements and Mossbauer spectrometry. In the oxalate solution, these iron-cont...

Visible Light Driven Organic Pollutants Degradation with Hydrothermally Carbonized Sewage Sludge and Oxalate Via Molecular Oxygen Activation

A two-dimensional hybrid of naphthalene diimide and reduced graphene oxide (NDI–RGO) has been constructed by a facile self-assembly strategy. In the resulting hybrid, the non-covalent interactions between NDI and RGO enable the uniform distribution of NDI on the surface of RGO. As the cathode material in lithium ion batteries, NDI–RGO shows excellent revisable capacity and rate capability.

A facile self-assembly strategy towards naphthalene diimide/graphene hybrids as high performance organic cathodes for lithium-ion batteries

Sludge derived carbon (SBC) is a potential resource from sewage sludge disposal, and chemical pre-treatment is a necessary activation method for the improvement of the SBC quality. Two novel activators, i.e. Fenton and NaClO, were introduced to produce SBC precursors through the destruction of cell wall barriers and heterogeneous structures in sludge. High quality SBC-Fenton and SBC-NaClO were produced, with the BET having increased from 38 m2 g−1 in the control group to 253 m2 g−1 and 423 m2 g−1, respectively. The micro-porosity volume increased from 6% to 42% and 46% in the SBC-Fenton and SBC-NaClO, respectively, with the corresponding saturation adsorption capacity increasing from 33.1 mg g−1 to 71.5 mg g−1 and 67.8 mg g−1 based on Langmuir isotherms using methylene blue. The adsorption processes of the typical odorants H2S and NH3 were also tested using the SBC-Fenton and SBC-NaClO, which could reduce the landfill volume and odor emissions simultaneously, and around 2.1 mg g−1 and 0.68–2.24 mg g−1 of NH3 and H2S were adsorbed under different dosages. SBC could be a promising adsorption carrier and supporting substance for soil cover in landfills.

Miao Chen

Papers

A facile self-assembly strategy towards naphthalene diimide/graphene hybrids as high performance organic cathodes for lithium-ion batteries

Typical MSW odor abatement using sludge derived carbon prepared by activation with Fenton’s reagent and NaClO