On‐Surface Synthesis of NBN‐Doped Zigzag‐Edged Graphene Nanoribbons

Polycationic Open-Shell Cyclophanes: Synthesis of Electron-Rich Chiral Macrocycles, and Redox-Dependent Electronic States

π-Conjugated chiral nanorings with intriguing electronic structures and chiroptical properties have attracted considerable interests in synthetic chemistry and materials science. We present the design principles to access new chiral macrocycles (1 and 2) that are essentially built on the key components of main-group electron-donating carbazolyl moieties or the π-expanded aza[7]helicenes. Both macrocycles show the unique molecular conformations with a (quasi) figure-of-eight topology as a result of the conjugation patterns of 2,2',7,7'-spirobifluorenyl in 1 and triarylamine-coupled aza[7]helicene-based building blocks in 2. This electronic nature of redox-active, carbazole-rich backbones enabled these macrocycles to be readily oxidized chemically and electrochemically, leading to the sequential production of a series of positively charged polycationic open-shell cyclophanes. Their redox-dependent electronic states of the resulting multispin polyradicals have been characterized by VT-ESR, UV/Vis-NIR absorption and spectroelectrochemical measurements. The singlet (ΔES-T=-1.29 kcal mol-1) and a nearly degenerate singlet-triplet ground state (ΔES-T(calcd)=-0.15 kcal mol-1 and ΔES-T(exp)=0.01 kcal mol-1) were proved for diradical dications 12+2⋅ and 22+2⋅, respectively. Our work provides an experimental proof for the construction of electron-donating new chiral nanorings, and more importantly for highly charged polyradicals with potential applications in chirospintronics and organic conductors.

On-Surface Synthesis of Edge-Extended Zigzag Graphene Nanoribbons

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have gained significant attention in nanoelectronics due to their potential for precise tuning of electronic properties through variations in edge structure and ribbon width. However, the synthesis of GNRs with highly sought-after zigzag edges (ZGNRs), critical for spintronics and quantum information technologies, remains challenging. In this study, a design motif for synthesizing a novel class of GNRs termed edge-extended ZGNRs is presented. This motif enables the controlled incorporation of edge extensions along the zigzag edges at regular intervals. The synthesis of a specific GNR instance-a 3-zigzag-rows-wide ZGNR-with bisanthene units fused to the zigzag edges on alternating sides of the ribbon axis is successfully demonstrated. The resulting edge-extended 3-ZGNR is comprehensively characterized for its chemical structure and electronic properties using scanning probe techniques, complemented by density functional theory calculations. The design motif showcased here opens up new possibilities for synthesizing a diverse range of edge-extended ZGNRs, expanding the structural landscape of GNRs and facilitating the exploration of their structure-dependent electronic properties.

Design and Synthesis of New Type of Macrocyclic Architectures Used for Optoelectronic Materials and Supramolecular Chemistry

Supramolecular chemistry has received much attention for decades. Macrocyclic architectures as representative receptors play a vital role in supramolecular chemistry and are applied in many fields such as supramolecular assembly and host-guest recognition. However, the classical macrocycles generally lack functional groups in the scaffolds, which limit their further applications, especially in optoelectronic materials. Therefore, developing a new design principle is not only essential to better understand macrocyclic chemistry and the supramolecular behaviors, but also further expand their applications in many research fields. In recent years, the doping compounds with main-group heteroatoms (B, N, S, O, P) into the carbon-based π-conjugated macrocycles offered a new strategy to build macrocyclic architectures with unique optoelectronic properties. In particular, the energy gaps and redox behavior can be effectively tuned by incorporating heteroatoms into the macrocyclic scaffolds. In this Minireview, we briefly summarize the design and synthesis of new macrocycles, and further discuss the related applications in optoelectronic materials and supramolecular chemistry.

Poly(arylene iminoborane)s, Analogues of Poly(arylene vinylene) with a BN-Doped Backbone: A Comprehensive Study

Despite the great success of the concept of doping organic compounds with BN units to access new materials with tailored properties, its use in polymer chemistry has only been realized quite recently. Herein, we present a comprehensive study of oligo- and poly(arylene iminoborane)s comprising a backbone of phenylene or thiophene moieties, as well as combinations thereof, linked via B=N units. The novel polymers can be regarded as BN analogues of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) or poly(thiophene vinylene) (PTV) or their copolymers. Our modular synthetic approach allowed us to prepare four polymers and 12 monodisperse oligomers with modulated electronic properties. Alternating electron-releasing diaminoarylene and electron-accepting diborylarylene building blocks gave rise to a pronounced donor-acceptor character. Effective π-conjugation over the arylene iminoborane backbone is evidenced by systematic bathochromic shifts of the low-energy UV-vis absorption maximum with increasing chain length, which is furthermore supported by crystallographic and computational investigations. Furthermore, all compounds investigated show emission of visible light in the solid state and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior, due to the presence of partially flexible linear B=N linkages in the backbone.

Cove-Edged Graphene Nanoribbons with Incorporation of Periodic Zigzag-Edge Segments

Structurally precision graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are promising candidates for next-generation nanoelectronics due to their intriguing and tunable electronic structures. GNRs with hybrid edge structures often confer them unique geometries associated with exotic physicochemical properties. Herein, a novel type of cove-edged GNRs with periodic short zigzag-edge segments is demonstrated. The bandgap of this GNR family can be tuned using an interplay between the length of the zigzag segments and the distance of two adjacent cove units along the opposite edges, which can be converted from semiconducting to nearly metallic. A family member with periodic cove-zigzag edges based on N = 6 zigzag-edged GNR, namely 6-CZGNR-(2,1), is successfully synthesized in solution through the Scholl reaction of a unique snakelike polymer precursor (10) that is achieved by the Yamamoto coupling of a structurally flexible S-shaped phenanthrene-based monomer (1). The efficiency of cyclodehydrogenation of polymer 10 toward 6-CZGNR-(2,1) is validated by FT-IR, Raman, and UV-vis spectroscopies, as well as by the study of two representative model compounds (2 and 3). Remarkably, the resultant 6-CZGNR-(2,1) exhibits an extended and broad absorption in the near-infrared region with a record narrow optical bandgap of 0.99 eV among the reported solution-synthesized GNRs. Moreover, 6-CZGNR-(2,1) exhibits a high macroscopic carrier mobility of ∼20 cm² V^-1 s^-1 determined by terahertz spectroscopy, primarily due to the intrinsically small effective mass (m*_e = m*_h = 0.17 m₀), rendering this GNR a promising candidate for nanoelectronics.

Design, Synthesis and Hydrogen Bonding of B3 N6 -[4]Triangulene

Replacement of the allylic C=C-C unit with a N-B-N unit at each of the three zigzag edges of [4]triangulene gives rise to B₃ N₆ -[4]triangulene, which is envisioned to represent a key structural unit of a new hypothetical boron carbon nitride (BC₄ N). A tert-butylated B₃ N₆ -[4]triangulene has been successfully synthesized by three-fold nitrogen-directed borylation, and the X-ray crystallographic analysis indicates that its slightly bent triangular polycyclic framework can be viewed as a 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene connected by three 4π-electron N-B-N units. The HN-B-NH moiety provides a dual hydrogen-bond donor, which forms H-bonds with halide or carboxylate anions in solution, and form DD-AA hydrogen-bond arrays with 2,7-di(tert-butyl)-pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone in the co-crystal. Moreover, the blue fluorescence of B₃ N₆ -[4]triangulene in solution is responsive to binding p-nitrobenzoate anion through hydrogen bonds.

NBN-Doped Bis-Tetracene and Peri-Tetracene: Synthesis and Characterization

Combining solution‐based and surface‐assisted synthesis, we demonstrate the first synthesis of NBN‐doped bis‐tetracene (NBN‐BT) and peri‐tetracene (NBN‐PT). The chemical structures are clearly elucidated by high‐resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in combination with noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc‐AFM). Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) characterizations reveal that NBN‐BT and NBN‐PT possess higher energy gaps than bis‐tetracene and peri‐tetracene. Interestingly, NBN‐BT can undergo stepwise one‐electron oxidation and convert into its corresponding radical cation and then to its dication. The energy gap of the NBN‐BT dication is similar to that of bis‐tetracene, indicating their isoelectronic relationship. Moreover, a similar energy gap between the NBN‐PT dication and peri‐tetracene can be predicted by DFT calculations. This work provides a novel synthesis along with characterizations of multi‐NBN‐doped zigzag‐edged peri‐acenes with tunable electronic properties.

One-Pot Synthesis of Boron-Doped Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons via 1,4-Boron Migration

Herein, we demonstrate a novel one-pot synthetic method towards a series of boron-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (B-PAHs, 1 a-1 o), including hitherto unknown B-doped zethrene derivatives, from ortho-aryl substituted diarylalkynes with high atom efficiency and broad substrate scopes. A reaction mechanism is proposed based on the experimental investigation together with the theoretical calculations, which involves a unique 1,4-boron migration process. The resultant benchtop-stable B-PAHs are thoroughly investigated by X-ray crystallography, cyclic voltammetry, UV/Vis absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopies. The blue and green organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices based on 1 f and 1 k are further fabricated, demonstrating the promising application potential of B-PAHs in organic optoelectronics.

Synthetic Tailoring of Graphene Nanostructures with Zigzag-Edged Topologies: Progress and Perspectives

Experimental and theoretical investigations have revealed that the chemical and physical properties of graphene are crucially determined by their topological structures. Therefore, the atomically precise synthesis of graphene nanostructures is essential. A particular example is graphene nanostructures with zigzag-edged structures, which exhibit unique (opto)electronic and magnetic properties owing to their spin-polarized edge state. Recent progress in the development of synthetic methods and strategies as well as characterization methods has given access to this class of unprecedented graphene nanostructures, which used to be purely molecular objectives in theoretical chemistry. Thus, clear insight into the structure-property relationships has become possible as well as new applications in organic carbon-based electronic and spintronic devices. In this Minireview, we discuss the recent progress in the controlled synthesis of zigzag-edged graphene nanostructures with different topologies through a bottom-up synthetic strategy.