Tailoring the Properties of Functional Materials With <i>N</i> ‐Oxides

Abstract Materials with N ‐oxide functionalities find numerous applications in fields like nanomedicine, wastewater purification, organic synthesis, and optoelectronics. The highly polar N ‐oxide group is often critical for these applications. N ‐oxides have good water solubility, blood compatibility, and special adsorption properties for dyes or salts. The redox reactivity of N ‐oxides may also be tuned, allowing bio‐reductive conversions or special electron transfer properties. Many of these features have recently been exploited in material chemistry, and the number of applications is rapidly growing. This Review article provides an overview of the properties of N ‐oxides as well as the synthesis and applications of materials containing N ‐oxide groups. The focus is on discussing current applications in synthesis, membrane technology, surfactants, nanomedicine, and optoelectronics.