Core-substituted perylene diimides (PDI) are promising candidates as n-type semiconductor materials for organic photovoltaics. The chemical functionalization of perylene diimides in the bay positions is a versatile tool to obtain a series of electron acceptor materials with tunable electron affinity. These materials usually feature a donor-acceptor D-A structure in which the electron withdrawing PDI core is covalently linked with different electron donating chemical groups. The structural and electronic properties of the substituents define and modulate the optical/electrical properties of the semiconductor and the performance as photovoltaic material.