Synthesis and reactivity of a trigonal porous nanographene on a gold surface

The synthesis of porous nanographenes is a challenging task for solution chemistry, and thus, on-surface synthesis provides an alternative approach. Here, we report the synthesis of a triporous nanographene with 102 sp² carbon atoms by combining solution and surface chemistry. The carbon skeleton was obtained by Pd-catalyzed cyclotrimerization of arynes in solution, while planarization of the molecule was achieved through two hierarchically organized on-surface cyclodehydrogenation reactions, intra- and inter-blade. Remarkably, the three non-planar [14]annulene pores of this nanographene further evolved at higher temperatures showing interesting intra-porous on-surface reactivity.