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Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Microscopic Visualization of Porous Nanographenes Synthesized through a Combination of Solution and On-Surface Chemistry
Published on: March 4, 2021
On-surface synthesis of cyclo[20]carbon and cyclo[30]carbon from cyclo[10]carbon
Yuan Guo1, Yuzhe Yun1, Wenzhi Xiang1
1Interdisciplinary Materials Research Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 201804, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
On-surface synthesis recently enabled access to generate a series of cyclo[n]carbons (Cn, up to C26) via delicately designed precursors. However, for larger cyclocarbons, synthesis of the corresponding precursors is being challenged. Here, we report another strategy for synthesizing larger cyclocarbons via the coupling and ring-opening reactions from smaller ones. We chose C10 as the precursor, and induce the coupling and ring-opening reactions via tip manipulation to successfully generate C20 and C30. Bond-resolved atomic force microscopy imaging unambiguously reveals the polyynic structure of C30, aligning with theoretical prediction. This approach establishes a new pathway to access larger cyclocarbons, and potentially enables controlled polymerization of cyclocarbons.
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