Heteroatom‐Doped Graphene Nanoribbons: Precision Synthesis and Emerging Properties†

Abstract

Comprehensive SummaryGraphene nanoribbons (GNRs), which can be considered as a special type of conjugated polymers, are quasi‐one‐dimensional graphene cutouts with an opened band gap, revealing great potential as functional materials in optoelectronic, spintronic, and energy‐related applications. An effective strategy to modulate the properties of GNRs is doping heteroatoms into the π‐skeleton. Thanks to the bottom‐up synthetic approach, a number of heteroatom‐doped GNRs with precise structures have been reported, exhibiting intriguing properties. Nevertheless, a comprehensive summary of the progress of this field has remained elusive. In this review, we summarize the history and advances in bottom‐up synthesized heteroatom‐doped GNRs, including their synthetic routes, electronic properties, and promising applications. We hope to establish the reliable structure–property relationship, and provide guidance for the molecular design of heteroatom‐doped GNRs in the future.