Synergetic Bottom-Up Synthesis of Graphene Nanoribbons by Matrix-Assisted Direct Transfer
Ryan D. McCurdy, Peter H. Jacobse, Ilya Piskun, Gregory Veber, Daniel J. Rizzo, Rafał Zuzak, Zafer Mutlu, Jeffrey Bokor, Michael F. Crommie, Felix R. Fischer
Abstract
The scope of graphene nanoribbon (GNR) structures accessible through bottom-up approaches is defined by the intrinsic limitations of either all-on-surface or all-solution-based synthesis. Here, we report a hybrid bottom-up synthesis of GNRs based on a Matrix-Assisted Direct (MAD) transfer technique that successfully leverages technical advantages inherent to both solution-based and on-surface synthesis while sidestepping their drawbacks. Critical structural parameters tightly controlled in solution-based polymerization reactions can seamlessly be translated into the structure of the corresponding GNRs. The transformative potential of the synergetic bottom-up approaches facilitated by the MAD transfer techniques is highlighted by the synthesis of chevron-type GNRs (cGNRs) featuring narrow length distributions and a nitrogen core-doped armchair GNR (N4-7-ANGR) that remains inaccessible using either a solution-based or an on-surface bottom-up approach alone.