## 2 Materials and Methods
### Experimental Details  
General procedure for the synthesis of dyes (**2a-e**): Aldehydes (**3a-e**, respectively, 0.2 mmol) were dissolved in a minimal amount of CHCl\({}_{3}\):heptane (1:1). The solution was sparged for 30 min. A few drops of piperidine were added and the mixture was sparged for an additional 5 min. Cyanoacetic acid (0.051 g, 0.6 mmol) was added before refluxing the solution for 4 h. After cooling to room temperature and allowing the red precipitate to settle, the excess solvent was decanted off. The remaining precipitate was dissolved in CHCl\({}_{3}\) and washed with 1.2 M HCl, and the organic layer was dried in vacuo to yield a dark orange/red solid. See below for the characterization of **2b-e**. _4,4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-bromophenyl)(4_-(4_-(4_-bromophenyl)(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_-(4_- - ( (4_ - - - ( (4_  
132.59, 131.52, 131.46, 128.35, 127.96, 127.23, 125.84, 124.69, 123.91, 123.60, 123.04, 118.42, 116.08, 88.12, 85.69, 71.45, 70.07, 68.90. _4,4'-(4'-(bis(4-(ferrocenylethynyl)phenyl)amino)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl)azanediy)dibenzaldehyde_, **3e**: **5e** (400 mg, 0.539 mmol), **6** (230 mg, 0.538 mmol), and tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate (0.4 eq., 70 mg, 0.21 mmol) were dissolved in toluene:water (8:2, 50 mL). The mixture was sparged for 30 min. Next, K\({}_{2}\)CO\({}_{3}\) (250 mg, 1.81 mmol) was added and the solution was left to sparge for an additional 5 min. The palladium catalyst, Pd(dppf)Cl\({}_{2}\) (0.1 eq., 40 mg, 0.055 mmol), was added and the solution was left to reflux under nitrogen for 12 h. The crude mixture was dried in vacuo. The residue was solubilized in DCM and washed with ascorbic acid; the organic layer was collected, dried over MgSO\({}_{4}\), and the solvent removed. The crude product was purified using a silica column. The product was run through a silica column using DCM to purify it (R\({}_{\text{f}}\) = 0.16). The resulting product was an orange solid. (250 mg, 0.26 mmol, 48.2%), 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl\({}_{3}\)): \(\delta\) = 9.94 (H\({}_{\text{a}}\), s, 2H), 7.83 (H\({}_{\text{b}}\), d, 3\({}_{\text{HH}}\) = 8 Hz, 4H), 7.63 (He, d, 3\({}_{\text{HH}}\) = 8 Hz, 2H), 7.54 (H\({}_{\text{d}}\), d, 3\({}_{\text{HH}}\) = 8 Hz, 2H), 7.42 (H\({}_{\text{c}}\), d, 3\({}_{\text{HH}}^{\text{J}}\) = 8 Hz, 4H), 7.33-7.20 (H\({}_{\text{f}}\), H\({}_{\text{g}}\), H\({}_{\text{h}}\), m, 8H), 7.10 (H\({}_{\text{i}}\), 3\({}_{\text{HH}}^{\text{J}}\) = 8 Hz, 4H), 4.53 (H\({}_{\text{j}}\), s, 4H), 4.28 (H\({}_{\text{k}}\), H\({}_{\text{l}}\), s, 14H). 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl\({}_{3}\)) \(\delta\) 190.63, 152.06, 146.62, 146.58, 144.54, 138.38, 135.02, 132.65, 131.56, 131.49, 128.39, 127.95, 127.27, 124.98, 123.95, 123.07, 118.51, 88.14, 85.71, 71.48, 70.11, 68.93. _4-bromo-N-(4-bromophenyl)-N-(4-(ferrocenylethylynyl)phenyl)aniline_, **5d**: tribromotriphenylamine (530 mg, 1.10 mmol) was dissolved in minimal tetrahydrofuran (THF):NE\({}_{3}\) (1:1, 14 mL) in a microwave vial. The solution was sparged for 30 min. Ethynyl-ferrocene (235 mg, 1.11 mmol) was added dropwise, and the solution was then sparged for an additional 5 min before CuI (0.1 eq., 20 mg, 0.11 mmol) and Pd(dppf)Cl\({}_{2}\) (0.1 eq., 90 mg, 0.12 mmol) were added to the reaction mixture. The microwave vial was then sealed, and the reaction was heated to 65 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 12 h. The reaction mixture was dried in vacuo and the crude product was dissolved in DCM and washed with saturated aqueous NH\({}_{4}\)Cl and ascorbic acid solution. The product was dried over MgSO\({}_{4}\) and then the solvent was removed in vacuo. The product was isolated by column chromatography using heptane: DCM (4:1) as the eluent (R\({}_{\text{f}}\) = 0.26). The product was an orange solid. (200 mg, 0.33 mmol, 29.7%). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl\({}_{3}\)): \(\delta\) = 7.39-7.31 (H\({}_{\text{g}}\), H\({}_{\text{h}}\), m, 6H), 7.00-6.88 (H\({}_{\text{f}}\), H\({}_{\text{l}}\), m, 6H), 4.50 (H\({}_{\text{j}}\), s, 2H), 4.25 (H\({}_{\text{l}}\), H\({}_{\text{k}}\), s, 7H).