Circumventing the Stability Problems of Graphene Nanoribbon Zigzag Edges

Abstract

Carbon nanostructures with zigzag edges exhibit unique properties with exciting potential applications. Such nanostructures are generally synthesized under vacuum because their zigzag edges are unstable under ambient conditions: a barrier that must be surmounted to achieve their scalable exploitation. Here, we prove the viability of chemical protection/deprotection strategies for this aim, demonstrated on labile chiral graphene nanoribbons (chGNRs). Upon hydrogenation, the chGNRs survive an exposure to air, after which they are easily converted back to their original structure via annealing. We also approach the problem from another angle by synthesizing a chemically stable oxidized form of the chGNRs that can be converted to the pristine hydrocarbon form via hydrogenation and annealing. These findings may represent an important step toward the integration of zigzag-edged nanostructures in devices.

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• Cove-edged Chiral Graphene Nanoribbons with Chirality-Dependent Bandgap and Carrier Mobility
• Fabrication of Spin-1/2 Heisenberg Antiferromagnetic Chains via Combined On-surface Synthesis and Reduction for Spinon Detection
• On-surface synthesis and characterization of Teranthene and Hexanthene: Ultrashort graphene nanoribbons with mixed armchair and zigzag edges
• Scanning tunneling microscopy using CO-terminated probes with tilted and straight geometries