Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are in a class of functional organic compounds with increasing importance in organic electronics. Their tunable photophysical properties and typically strong intermolecular associations make them ideal materials in applications where control of charge mobility is essential. Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) is a disc-shaped PAH that self-associates into columnar stacks through strong π–π interactions. By decorating the periphery of the HBC molecule with various substituents, a range of properties and functions can be obtained including solution processability, liquid crystallinity, and semiconductivity. In this review article, the synthesis, properties, and functions of HBC derivatives are presented with focus on work published in the last five years.

A selection of conjugated polymers, widely studied in organic electronics, was synthesised using continuous flow methodology. As a result of superior heat transfer and reagent control, excellent polymer molecular mass distributions were achieved in significantly reduced reaction times compared to conventional batch reactions.

There is an increasing demand for organic semiconducting materials with the emergence of organic electronic devices. In particular, large-area devices such as organic thin-film photovoltaics will require significant quantities of materials for device optimization, lifetime testing and commercialization. Sourcing large quantities of materials required for the optimization of large area devices is costly and often impossible to achieve. Continuous-flow synthesis enables straight-forward scale-up of materials compared to conventional batch reactions. In this study, poly(3-hexylthiophene), P3HT, was synthesized in a bench-top continuous-flow reactor. Precise control of the molecular weight was demonstrated for the first time in flow for conjugated polymers by accurate addition of catalyst to the monomer solution. The P3HT samples synthesized in flow showed comparable performance to commercial P3HT samples in bulk heterojunction solar cell devices.