Finite phenine nanotubes with periodic vacancy defects

Abstract

Toward nanotubes with periodic gaps Carbon nanotubes consist of a continuous array of benzene rings fused along their edges. It is not straightforward to excise regular fragments in a top-down fashion to produce periodic gaps. Sun et al. showcase the beginnings of a bottom-up strategy toward this end. They used borylations and catalytic cross-coupling chemistry to prepare a discrete cylindrical carbon compound composed of 40 benzene rings bonded to one another at the 1, 3, and 5 positions to leave regular void spaces in the walls. Catenation of multiple similar segments could ultimately lead to an extended nanotube with periodic wall defects. Science , this issue p. 151