Carbazole and its derivatives are an important type of nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic compounds, possess desirable electronic and charge-transport properties, as well as large π-conjugated system with rigid fused rings. These special structures of carbazole compounds endow their distinct various functions, properties and biological activities, as well as wide potential application in photoelectrical materials, dyes, medicinal agents, supramolecular recognition and so on. More importantly, the carbazole compounds are easily modified and various functional groups could be conveniently introduced into the carbazole ring. The syntheses of carbazole derivatives and their potential applications were extensively investigated and have been become highly active highlight in recent years, and the progress is quite rapid. Combining with our researches and referring other works from literatures, this paper systematically reviews the recent advance in the research and development of carbazoles in organic electro-luminescence materials, organic photorefractive materials, solar cells, dyes, medicinal chemistry, supramolecular recognition and so on. The perspectives of the foreseeable future are also presented.

Key words: carbazole, electro-luminescence, dye, anticancer, supramolecular recognition