Sumanene, a partial fullerene structure was synthesized in 2003 and has been tested as a molecular component of organic field-effect transistors, OFETs. Theoretical calculations on heterosubstituted derivatives of this basic skeleton suggest a wide range of potential electronic properties.

Recent synthetic developments have now opened a route to silicon derivatives and to the parent trisilasumanene through repetitive lithiations of triphenylene followed by introduction of silicon functionalities. The work now allows investigations of the fundamental properties of this class to be carried out.

• Synthesis, structures and optical properties of trisilasumanene and its related compounds
  T. Tanikawa, M. Saito, J. D. Guo, S. Nagase,
  Org. Biomol. Chem. 2011.
  DOI: 10.1039/c0ob00987c