Two-dimensionally expanded π-systems, consisting of partially oxygen-bridged triarylamine skeletons that are connected to an azulene (1-3) or biphenyl core (4), were synthesized and characterized. When tetra-substituted azulene 1 was used as a hole-transporting material (HTM) in perovskite solar cells, the observed performance (power conversion efficiency = 16.5%) was found to be superior to that of the current HTM standard Spiro-OMeTAD. A comparison of the hole mobility, the ability to control the HOMO and LUMO levels, and the hole-collection efficiency at the perovskite/HTM interface in 1 with reference compounds (2-4 and Spiro-OMeTAD) led to the elucidation of key factors required for HTMs to act efficiently in perovskite solar cells.

Pyridine-borane complexes were synthesized from 2-arylpyridines through an electrophilic aromatic borylation reaction with BBr(3). The intermediate 2-(2-dibromoborylaryl)pyridines were stable enough to be handled in air and served as the synthetic platform for variously substituted pyridine-borane complexes. This facile method would be useful for the synthesis of aza-π-conjugated materials having boron-nitrogen coordination.

Conventional organic synthesis has been mainly based upon the reactivities of π-bonds and polar σ-bonds. Carbon-carbon single bonds are nonpolar and generally far less reactive. Although they remain intact under most reaction conditions, it is possible to activate and cleave them if suitable organometallic compounds or metal catalysts are applied. Such C-C single bond cleavage reactions are attracting increasing attention in the context of synthetic chemistry because they provide a unique and more straightforward route from readily available substances to targets, while requiring significantly fewer steps. The present Perspective aims to exemplify the potential of metal-catalyzed C-C single bond cleavage for organic synthesis.