Embedding heteroatoms: an effective approach to create porphyrin-based functional materials.

Incorporation of planarized heteroatom(s) onto the porphyrin periphery is an effective approach to create porphyrin-based functional materials. In the last three decades, such an "embedding heteroatom" strategy has been actively explored in order to realize attractive electronic, optical, and electrochemical properties. This review aims to cover a variety of synthetic methodologies that have been developed for the construction of heteroatom-embedded porphyrins. Moreover, we also summarize their structure-property relationships as well as possible applications in various research fields including artificial photosynthesis, molecular engineering, organic electronics, and bioimaging.