DataVXACS Applied Materials & InterfacesPaper
journal article·2026-05-13Open access

On-Surface Synthesis of Azapolyarenes and Their Bromine-Assisted Chiral Self-Assembly

Yi Zhang, Jianchen Lu, Wuyi Gao, Yong Zhang, Lei Gao, Karl-Heinz Ernst, Jinming Cai

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces· Volume 18· Issue 18
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Source abstract

Abstract

The rational design of molecular precursors that direct divergent surface reactions offers powerful opportunities for controlling the formation and organization of heteroatom-doped π-conjugated nanostructures. Here, we report the on-surface synthesis of three distinct azapolyaromatic compounds─a helicene, a pyrazine, and a nanographene─obtained from a single brominated precursor on Au(111). Thermal activation triggers selective dehalogenation, C-C or C-N coupling, and intramolecular cyclodehydrogenation, giving rise to structurally defined products whose structures were elucidated by scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory calculations. Remarkably, the resulting species undergo bromine-assisted self-assembly into phase-separated two-dimensional domains, reflecting differences in molecular chirality, planarity, and intermolecular interactions. These findings highlight the potential of programmed on-surface chemistry for generating multiple heteroatom-doped aromatic architectures from a single feedstock, providing a versatile strategy for the atomically precise construction of functional nanographenes and chiral π-systems.
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Research context

Nanomaterials

OpenAlex topics: Surface Chemistry and Catalysis · Synthesis and Properties of Aromatic Compounds · Topological Materials and Phenomena

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, 68 Wenchang Road, Kunming 650093, China

Southwest United Graduate School, 298, 121 Street, Kunming 650092, China

Faculty of Science, Kunming University of Science and Technology, 727 Jingming South Road, Kunming 650500, China

Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland

Nanosurf Laboratory, Institute of Physics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10, Prague 16200, Czech Republic

Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland

Funding

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur F?rderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung · Yunnan Provincial Department of Education · National Key Research and Development Program of China · Grantov? Agentura Cesk? Republiky · Major Science and Technology Projects in Yunnan Province · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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