Controllable conversion of quasi-freestanding polymer chains to graphene nanoribbons

Chuanxu Ma,J. Bernholc,Liangbo Liang,Wenchang Lu,Honghai Zhang,Kunlun Hong,Bobby G. Sumpter,Zhongcan Xiao,An-Ping Li,Jingsong Huang

doi:10.1038/ncomms14815

Abstract

In the bottom-up synthesis of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) from self-assembled linear polymer intermediates, surface-assisted cyclodehydrogenations usually take place on catalytic metal surfaces. Here we demonstrate the formation of GNRs from quasi-freestanding polymers assisted by hole injections from a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) tip. While catalytic cyclodehydrogenations typically occur in a domino-like conversion process during the thermal annealing, the hole-injection-assisted reactions happen at selective molecular sites controlled by the STM tip. The charge injections lower the cyclodehydrogenation barrier in the catalyst-free formation of graphitic lattices, and the orbital symmetry conservation rules favour hole rather than electron injections for the GNR formation. The created polymer–GNR intraribbon heterostructures have a type-I energy level alignment and strongly localized interfacial states. This finding points to a new route towards controllable synthesis of freestanding graphitic layers, facilitating the design of on-surface reactions for GNR-based structures.

Highlights

In the bottom-up synthesis of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) from self-assembled linear polymer intermediates, surface-assisted cyclodehydrogenations usually take place on catalytic metal surfaces
Using scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), we find that electronic decoupling of the polymer can greatly slow down the cyclodehydrogenation and an scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) tip can be used to inject charges at the selected molecular sites to trigger the reaction and create intraribbon heterojunctions
Based on nudged elastic band (NEB) simulations, we reveal a hole-assisted cyclodehydrogenation reaction path that points to an avenue towards the controllable on-surface synthesis of freestanding GNRs and precise intraribbon heterojunctions

Summary

Results

The 2nd-layer polymer (location 1) exhibits a large energy gap of about 4.3 eV with the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied crystal orbitals of the polymer (HOCOp and LUCOp) in the density of states (DOS) at sample voltage Vs 1⁄4 À 2.1 and þ 2.2 V, respectively. This gap is significantly greater than that for the 1st-layer polymer with a bandgap about 3.4 eV (Supplementary Fig. 3), indicating reduced dielectric screening of the substrate[10,24,28].

H H –2H H H

H H int1

Discussion

Methods