Electroactive materials, a process for their preparation as well as the use thereof

Stable, electroactive material which when a potential is applied from the outside is subjected to one or more reversible redox reactions, for use in devices with an electrochromic display or another electrochromic colour change or in batteries, characterised by containing at least one condensed ring structure I of one of the formulas I red or I ox in the redox reaction equation:

• ##STR11## in which the groups X, which may be identical or different, are O, S or NR.sub.3, at least one of the groups being NR.sub.3,
• where the structures A, which may be identical or different, may be any molecular structure not blocking the redox reaction, and, optionally, may carry one or more identical or different substituents R.sub.4,
• where R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4, which may be identical or different, may be any substituent not blocking the redox reaction, and where one or more of the substituents R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 may also form part of a linker residue L, which is attached to one or more additional ring structures I, and
• where L is a divalent or polyvalent group not blocking the redox reaction.