Recent Advances in Boron-Containing Acenes: Synthesis, Properties, and Optoelectronic Applications†

Abstract

Acenes with linearly fused benzene rings have attracted much attention due to their intriguing optical and electronic properties. Nevertheless, the poor ambient stability of longer acenes has hampered the investigation of their physicochemical properties and potential applications. The incorporation of main group elements into the acene backbones provides a viable strategy to enhance the stability, and meanwhile, generates a new family of heteroatom-doped acenes (namely heteroacenes) with modified properties and functions. In particular, boron-containing acenes represent an attractive class of heteroacenes owing to the existence of vacant p orbital of boron, which endows the π-conjugated systems with appealing features, such as Lewis acidity, electron-accepting capability, stimuli-responsivity, and adjustable photophysical properties. During the past decade, significant progress has been achieved in the synthesis and applications of boron-containing acenes, but a focused review on this topic has been elusive. Here, we summarize the recent advances in the studies on boron-containing acenes, covering their synthesis, intriguing properties, and various applications in electroluminescence and electronic devices, as well as in biosensors, etc. We hope that this timely review will stimulate new research interest in this unique family of materials and promote their optoelectronic applications.