The synthesis and characterization of an enantiopure superhelicene nanographene is reported in which two saddle‐shaped and one planar hexabenzocoronene (HBC) units are arranged in a helicoidal shape to form an undecabenzo[7]carbohelicene. The described compound is the first fully π‐extended [7]helicene. Racemic resolution of the helical nanographene permitted analysis of the chiroptical properties and revealed dissymmetry factors in the range of 2×10⁻³ both in the absorption and in the emission measurements. Remarkably, non‐linear photophysical analysis demonstrated a two‐photon absorption cross‐section of 870 GM at 800 nm and a perfect overlap between linear, non‐linear, and chiral emissions.

We highlight recent progress in bottom-up synthesis of well-defined distorted polyaromatic hydrocarbons with saddle shapes containing heptagonal and octagonal carbocycles.

A rotaxane-based molecular shuttle has been synthesized in which the switching of the position of a fluorescent macrocycle on the thread turns “on” or “off” the circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) of the system while maintaining similar fluorescence profiles and quantum yields in both states. The chiroptical activity relies on the chiral information transfer from an ammonium salt incorporating D or L-phenylalanine residues as chiral stereogenic covalent units to an otherwise achiral crown ether macrocycle bearing a luminescent 2,2’-bipyrene unit when they interact through hydrogen bonding. Each enantiomeric thread induces CPL responses of opposite signs on the macrocycle. Upon addition of base, the switching of the position of the macrocycle to a triazolium group disables the chiral information transfer to the macrocycle, switching “off” the CPL response. The in situ switching upon several acid/base cycles is also demonstrated.