A novel approach to fabricate artificial graphene nanoribbons with embedded pentagon carbons

(Nanowerk News) Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have attracted much attention because of their unique electronic structure with high physical structural capabilities.

However, the feasibility of manufacturing artificially tuned GNRs which are intrinsically linked to their external properties brings great challenges in the synthesis of GNRs and their utilization in devices.

Now, the research team led by Prof. SONG Fei of the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has reported a novel approach to precisely fabricate well-defined GNRs with a custom pentagon carbon embedded in and supported on Ag. (111) model catalyst.

The results are published in Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (“Synthesis On Surface of Pentagon-Infused Graphene-Like Nanoribbons with Multiple Precursors”).

Compared to conventional solution-synthesis chemistry, the surface Ullmann coupling strategy introduces feasibility and on-demand controllability towards atomically precise nanostructures of well-modified GNRs, through programmed cleavage of carbon-halogen bonds in precursors and reconnection of carbon-carbon bonds. On surface.

In addition, by utilizing multiple precursors as designed, the pentagon carbon structure can be feasibly incorporated into GNRs via Ullmann coupling and cyclodehydrogenation on Ag(111), realizing artificial modification of the nanostructures and electronic structures with high stability, as witnessed by the scanning tunneling spectroscopy and density function theory.

This study provides a new strategy to promote surface GNR-based nanostructures towards field-effect transistors, high-density storage devices, etc.