Extended absorbance solar leaf and methods of making

A method of making a photo-absorbing composition, comprising:

• forming a donor-acceptor small molecule (DASM) by bonding an electron donor portion selected from the group consisting of
• to an electron acceptor portion selected from the group consisting of
• wherein the starred bonds are sites for bonding to other chemical structures;
• R is, independently in each instance, an alkyl, alkoxy, vinyl, aryl group, or fluorinated hydrocarbon group;
• Q is, independently in each instance, O, S, or Se;
• E is, independently in each instance, Si or Ge;
• Z is, independently in each instance, a proton or a fluorine atom;
• X is, independently in each instance, C or N;
• and
• bonding the DASM to a nanographene structure selected from the group consisting of
• using a Stille coupling reaction, a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction, or a C—H activation cross-coupling reaction, the photo-absorbing composition having a general structure selected from the group consisting of
• wherein m, n, and o are integers greater than or equal to 1.

A film comprising a photo-absorbing composition having a structure from the group consisting of

• wherein DASM is a small molecule comprising one or more electron donor portions selected from the group consisting of
• and one or more electron acceptor portions selected from the group consisting of
• wherein the starred bonds are sites for bonding to other chemical structures;
• R is, independently in each instance, an alkyl, alkoxy, vinyl, aryl group, or fluorinated hydrocarbon group;
• Q is, independently in each instance, O, S, or Se;
• E is, independently in each instance, Si or Ge;
• Z is, independently in each instance, a proton or a fluorine atom;
• X is, independently in each instance, C or N;
• and m, n, and o are integers greater than or equal to 1;
• and wherein NG is a nanographene structure selected from the group consisting of