Structural Expansion of Cyclohepta[def]fluorene towards Azulene-Embedded Non-Benzenoid Nanographenes

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Non-benzenoid non-alternant nanographenes (NGs) have attracted increasing attention on account of their distinct electronic and structural features in comparison to their isomeric benzenoid counterparts. In this work, we present a series of unprecedented azulene-embedded NGs on Au(111) during the attempted synthesis of cyclohepta[def]fluorene-based high-spin non-Kekulé structure. Comprehensive scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) evidence the structures and conformations of these unexpected products. The dynamics of the precursor bearing 9-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)anthracene and dihydro-dibenzo-cyclohepta[def]fluorene units and its reaction products on the surface are analyzed by density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our study sheds light on the fundamental understanding of precursor design for the fabrication of π-extended non-benzenoid NGs on a metal surface.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere202301739
Number of pages7
JournalChemistry - A European Journal
Volume29
Issue number51
Publication statusPublished - 12 Sept 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37339368

Keywords

Keywords

  • azulene, cyclohepta[def]fluorene, non-benzenoid, on-surface synthesis, polycyclic hydrocarbons