Chemical Identification and Bond Control of π-Skeletons in a Coupling Reaction

Highly unsaturated pi-rich carbon skeletons afford versatile tuning of structural and optoelectronic properties of low-dimensional carbon nanostructures. However, methods allowing more precise chemical identification and controllable integration of target sp-/sp(2)-carbon skeletons during synthesis are required. Here, using the coupling of terminal alkynes as a model system, we demonstrate a methodology to visualize and identify the generated pi-skeletons at the single-chemical-bond level on the surface, thus enabling further precise bond control. The characteristic electronic features together with localized vibrational modes of the carbon skeletons are resolved in real space by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS). Our approach allows single-chemical-bond understanding of unsaturated carbon skeletons, which is crucial for generating low-dimensional carbon nanostructures and nanomaterials with atomic precision.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates a methodology to visualize and identify the generated pi-skeletons at the single-chemical-bond level on the surface, enabling precise bond control. Electronic features and vibrational modes of the carbon skeletons are resolved in real space using a combination of STM/STS and TERS techniques, crucial for generating low-dimensional carbon nanostructures with atomic precision.