Recent Highlights and Perspectives on Acene Based Molecules and Materials

Acenes represent a series of molecules with intriguing physical and chemical properties for applications in organic electronics. Nevertheless, the stability and solubility issues associated with longer acenes are two major obstacles for their applications. In this Perspective, we summarize the major design principles for stabilizing acenes. A variety of stable acene based derivatives are included for discussion. Finally, we highlight some research areas where breakthroughs will be critical for the further development of acene based molecules and materials.