Cyclodehydrogenation of molecular nanographene precursors catalyzed by atomic hydrogen

Rafal Zuzak, Pawel Dabczynski, Jesús Castro-Esteban, José Ignacio Martínez, Mads Engelund, Dolores Pérez, Diego Peña () and Szymon Godlewski ()
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Rafal Zuzak: Jagiellonian University
Pawel Dabczynski: Jagiellonian University
Jesús Castro-Esteban: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
José Ignacio Martínez: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICMM-CSIC)
Mads Engelund: Espeem S.A.R.L. (espeem.com)
Dolores Pérez: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Diego Peña: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Szymon Godlewski: Jagiellonian University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Atomically precise synthesis of graphene nanostructures on semiconductors and insulators has been a formidable challenge. In particular, the metallic substrates needed to catalyze cyclodehydrogenative planarization reactions limit subsequent applications that exploit the electronic and/or magnetic structure of graphene derivatives. Here, we introduce a protocol in which an on-surface reaction is initiated and carried out regardless of the substrate type. We demonstrate that, counterintuitively, atomic hydrogen can play the role of a catalyst in the cyclodehydrogenative planarization reaction. The high efficiency of the method is demonstrated by the nanographene synthesis on metallic Au, semiconducting TiO2, Ge:H, as well as on inert and insulating Si/SiO2 and thin NaCl layers. The hydrogen-catalyzed cyclodehydrogenation reaction reported here leads towards the integration of graphene derivatives in optoelectronic devices as well as developing the field of on-surface synthesis by means of catalytic transformations. It also inspires merging of atomically shaped graphene-based nanostructures with low-dimensional inorganic units into functional devices.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54774-1

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