Chiral DPP Thin Films: Unlocking Circularly Polarized Light for Next-Gen Optoelectronics

We report the synthesis and characterization of the two enantiomeric forms of a thienyl-substituted diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivative bearing chiral alkyl chains. Thin films were prepared either by spin-coating and drop-casting and analyzed by UV–Visible absorption, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and circularly polarized (CP) luminescence (CPL). ECD spectra confirmed the opposite chirality of the (R) and (S) isomers, while CPL measurements of the S enantiomer demonstrated solid-state chiroptical activity. Preliminary device tests showed promising optoelectronic behavior, highlighting these chiral DPP materials as potential candidates for CP organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs) applications, combining strong chiroptical response with good film quality.