On-surface synthesis of porous nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons: Role of substrate orientation
Ceccatto A, Herrera-Reinoza N, Silva MC, Pérez Paz A, Carreño Díaz V, Pilli RA, Siervo Ad (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Journal
Book Volume: 259
Article Number: 121895
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2026.121895
Abstract
Contributing to the design of functional graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) structures, we have synthesized porous and doped armchair graphene nanoribbons (N-GNRs) on Cu(111), Ag(100), and Ag(110) with atomic precision. The structural characterization and reaction step have been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy. Despite pronounced differences in surface symmetry and chemical reactivity, the hierarchical polymerization of 2,7,11,16-tetrabromotetrabenzo[a,c,h,j]phenazine (TBTBP) through the on-surface Ullmann coupling consistently yields porous nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons with identical backbone structure, periodic pore architecture, and site-specific nitrogen doping. While ribbon length and growth kinetics vary across substrates—being limited on Cu(111), intermediate on Ag(100), and extended on Ag(110)—the intermolecular spacing and armchair edge topology remain preserved. These results demonstrate that the intrinsic molecular design of TBTBP dominates over substrate symmetry in defining the final nanoribbon structure. The substrate tolerance and structural fidelity observed here highlight the potential of this precursor platform for the synthesis of atomically precise porous GNRs on diverse supports, providing a promising route toward their integration on technologically relevant substrates.
Involved external institutions
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) / University of Campinas
Brazil (BR)
United Arab Emirates University / جامعة الإمارات العربية المتحدة
United Arab Emirates (AE)
Brazil (BR)
United Arab Emirates University / جامعة الإمارات العربية المتحدة
United Arab Emirates (AE)
How to cite
APA:
Ceccatto, A., Herrera-Reinoza, N., Silva, M.C., Pérez Paz, A., Carreño Díaz, V., Pilli, R.A., & Siervo, A.d. (2026). On-surface synthesis of porous nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons: Role of substrate orientation. Carbon, 259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2026.121895
MLA:
Ceccatto, Alisson, et al. "On-surface synthesis of porous nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons: Role of substrate orientation." Carbon 259 (2026).
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