Patent ID: 7381585

Claim:
A method of forming a thin film of a Diels-Alder adduct of a polycyclic aromatic compound with a dienophile, said method comprising the steps of: (a) applying onto a substrate a solution of a Diels-Alder adduct of a polycyclic aromatic compound with a dienophile in a suitable solvent, wherein said polycyclic aromatic compound is selected from the group consisting of: oligothiophene, perylene, benzo[ghi]perylene, coronene and a compound represented by the formula: wherein each R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 is independently selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen, alkyl of 1-12 carbon atoms, aryl, substituted aryl, a group wherein R 3 and R 4 together form one or more fused benzo rings and a group wherein R 5 and R 6 together form one or more fused benzo rings, wherein n is at least 1; and wherein said dienophile is represented by the formula: R 1 —X═Y—R 2 wherein each X and Y is independently selected from the group consisting of: N and CR 7 ; wherein R 1 —X═ together form a group selected from the group consisting of: O, S, SO and SO 2 ; and wherein each R 1 , R 2 and R 7 is independently selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen, alkyl of 1-12 carbon atoms, aryl, substituted aryl, aralkyl, alkoxycarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, acyl and a group R, wherein R is selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen, alkyl of 1-12 carbon atoms, alkoxy, acyl, aryl, aralkyl, chloroalkyl, fluoroalkyl and substituted aryl having a substituent selected from the group consisting of: —F, —Cl, —Br, —NO 2 , —CO 2 R, —PO 3 H, —SO 3 H, trialkylsilyl and acyl; wherein said acyl is represented by the formula: R 8 CO— wherein R 8 is selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen, alkyl of 1-12 carbon atoms, aryl, substituted aryl, aralkyl and fluoroalkyl; with the proviso that at least one of X and Y is a hetero atom selected from the group consisting of: N, O and S; and (b) evaporating said solvent to produce said thin film of said Diels-Alder adduct of said polycyclic aromatic compound with said dienophile.