The progress in organic electronics highly relies on the development of new excellent π-conjugated materials. ln this regard, ladder-type π-conjugated frameworks are promising building units, wherein the enhanced π-conjugation by their rigid coplanar structures leads to a set of desirable properties such as intense fluorescence and high carrier mobility. An effective modulation of this class of materials is to incorporate group 13-16 elements, such as B, Si, P, S, and Se, into the ladder frameworks. Exploitation of the features of these elements, unique orbital interaction, varied coordination/valence numbers, and structural features, allows us to create new fascinating molecular systems. Recent progresses in this direction are summarized, in particular, focusing on the chemistry of ladder oligo(p-phenylenevinylene)s and fused oligothiophenes.
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