Recent advances in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and self-assembly based on corannulene

Abstract

<p indent="0mm">Corannulene (C₂₀H₁₀) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in which five six-membered rings surround a central five-membered ring to construct a bowl-shaped aromatic structure. Corannulene can invert, accept electrons and form host-guest complexes. Due to these unique features, corannulene presents an interesting building block in the construction of organic functional materials. More importantly, these materials usually have excellent properties and broad application prospects. This review summarizes the literature of the past two decades and covers new progress in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and self-assembly based on corannulene. The different fusions of planar and helical subunits and geometric structures that have an influence on the properties of PAHs are also highlighted.