Boron-contain­ing polyaro­matic hydro­car­bons (PAHs) draw increas­ing inter­est due to their appeal­ing optical and electronic features. They are promis­ing candi­dates for appli­ca­tions in organic electron­ics, e.g. OLEDs, transis­tors and organic solar cells. This project is focused on the synthe­sis of new chiral organoboron PAHs and the inves­ti­ga­tion of the impact of their chiral geome­try on the opera­tion of such devices.

This project is focused on the devel­op­ment of chiral boron-contain­ing polyaro­matic hydro­car­bons (PAHs). While PAHs already find appli­ca­tion in organic solar cells and transis­tors, there is still poten­tial for improve­ment. Incor­po­ra­tion of heteroatoms into π‑conjugated scaffolds can signif­i­cantly alter the proper­ties of a parent scaffold, improve opera­tion of these devices and provide new functions. Despite the attrac­tive proper­ties of boron, helically chiral scaffolds contain­ing this element are rare due to synthetic limita­tions. There­fore, a major goal of this project is to get access to this new class of compounds.

The synthe­sis of boron embed­ded PAHs is executed by a modular approach. To construct these compounds, achiral small (hetero)aromatic build­ing blocks are cross-coupled with selected central cores, while subse­quent boryla­tion forms 3D multi­chro­mophoric arrays. A schematic illus­tra­tion of this approach is shown in Figure 1.

These materi­als will be applied in organic electron­ics and photo­voltaics to address the impact of chiral purity on the opera­tion of the devices. Thus, the studies will contribute to a more compre­hen­sive picture of the relation­ships between chiral­ity and device performance.