Forming Aromatic Hemispheres on Transition‐Metal Surfaces

Abstract

Bowled over: Hexabenzocoronene (HBC) binds to the surface of a ruthenium crystal through its “radialene” π bonds. Measurements on the product after heating of the HBC–surface complex are consistent with a bowl-shaped molecular fragment that is strongly bound, rim down, to the metal surface. This structure represents a new type of seed that could be used to grow single-walled carbon nanotubes of specific diameter and chirality.