Multifunctional materials based on tetrathiafulvalene derivatives with binding sites for metal ions

Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and its derivatives are very well known as reversible, stable two-electron donors and they have found widespread use in the field of organic conductors and superconductors. Further, during the last decades, developments in synthetic TTF chemistry have enabled the use of TTF and its derivatives as versatile building blocks in new fields of materials and supramolecular chemistry. This brief review relates some recent advances that have been achieved by combining the redox and conducting properties of TTF with other functionalities, such as magnetism or optical properties. A variety of TTF-based ligand systems and their metal complexes are presented.