We have designed and synthesized six phthalocyanine dyes and one benzoperylene dye for dye-based green Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) color filters. The solubility, spectral properties and thermal stability of the prepared six phthalocyanine dyes varied depending on their isomeric structures and core metals. They were dissolved in industrial solvent–binder composites and spin coated with and without yellow compensating benzoperylene dye into dye-based LCD color filters. The prepared color filters exhibited superior optical properties compared to conventional pigment-based ones due to the fluorescence of benzoperylene dye and less light scattering resulting from the smaller particle size of the dyes. The phthalocyanine dyes substituted at the peripheral (β) positions showed enough thermal stability for color filters and the yellow benzoperylene dye effectively compensated the spectra for vivid green colors.

Four novel asymmetric triphenylamine dyes configured with donor–donor–acceptor (D–D–A) and donor–donor–bridge–acceptor (D–D–π–A) structures were synthesized and applied to organic dye-sensitized solar cells. The terminal methoxy group in the donor part and the furane-bridge unit contributed to the wider absorption region and enhanced electron life time, resulting in a higher photocurrent density (J_sc), open-circuit voltage (V_oc), and overall conversion efficiency (η). Among the synthesized dyes, the SK2-based DSSC showed the highest conversion efficiency of 5.57% (J_sc = 10.41 mA cm⁻², V_oc = 729 mV, and FF = 0.73) caused by the synergetic effect of the methoxy group and the furane-bridge unit.

A large number of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) compounds showing aggregation induced emission (AIE) have been reported in the past few years. However, although DPP compounds exhibited AIE and excellent luminescence properties, their luminescence properties in solid or film states were not much focused on. Here we synthesized and characterized a series of DPP compounds with triphenylamine (TPA) moieties to investigate the AIE properties in the solid film state depending on the functional groups (TPA, BTPA, and MTPA) attached to the TPA moieties. T2 and D2 thin films showed excellent fluorescence quantum yields of 31% and 26%, respectively, compared to an M2 thin film (9%). The restriction of an intramolecular rotation process could inhibit the aggregation induced quenching process and play a key role in achieving highly fluorescent molecules in the solid state.