Subnanometer pores in graphene nanoribbons

On-surface synthesis is an emerging research field focused on creating atomically precise low-dimensional nanostructures with unique properties through controlled organic chemistry reactions on surfaces. The most prominent example is the vast pool of nanometer wide graphene nanoribbon structures that have been synthesized in the last decade [1]. The common feature that characterize them is that they all have been formed by using reactions that involve the cleavage of specific atoms or groups.In our study, we have introduced a new reaction into the on-surface synthesis toolbox to demonstrate that one can further transform the structure of the ribbons to generate subnanometer size pores with atomic precision [2]. The resulting nanostructures, bearing a record high density of subnanometer scale pores, are particularly relevant for sensing applications.