On-surface synthesis has received great attention as a
method to create atomically-precise one-dimensional (1D) and
two-dimensional (2D) polymers with intriguing properties. In
particular, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), a category of quasi-1D
nanomaterials derived from graphene, have been widely studied due
to their tunable electronic properties and potential applications
in semiconductor devices, such as field-effect transistors and
spintronics. A series of top-down approaches have been pursued to
produce GNRs, but a lack of control over the ribbon width and edge
structure has hindered their further development.
