Different Strategies for the Stabilization of Acenes and Acene Analogues

Acenes, a type of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon containing linearly fused benzene rings, have received much attention from organic chemists, physical chemists, and materials scientists, due to their intriguing properties and potential applications in organic electronics. Without doubt, acene chemistry has been one of the hottest topics among the π-conjugated systems. However, poor stability of acenes is the prominent issue that limits their applications. In this personal account, we summarize different strategies developed in our group to construct and stabilize acenes and acene analogues. In addition, the unique properties and applications of some molecules will be discussed.