Abstract Dendrons of pyrene derivatives were attached to a porphyrin core. A marked effect in solution for the dendrimers was observed in the absorption spectra. All the compounds obtained were characterized by 1 H-, 13 C-NMR, FTIR, UV-vis, MALDI-TOF or FAB+ mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. The cubic nonlinear optical behavior of some the synthesized compounds was tested via Z-Scan measurements in spin-coated film ...