This review presents an overview of the recent developments in the area of vat dye chemistry for the preparation of π-conjugated molecules and polymers for organic electronic applications. Vat dyes are well-established molecules in the textile colouring and painting industry as they are inexpensive and highly stable. Their optical properties in the visible region are attributed to their highly conjugated sp2 carbon networks and the presence of functional groups, especially ketones that allow the formation of “leuco” species. In this review, we will show how the presence of functional groups on these highly conjugated scaffolds can be used to modify their electronic and optical properties to make them useful building blocks for semiconducting organic materials.
