NUS chemists have developed a strategy for the
atomically precise synthesis of fully conjugated zigzag-edged
carbon nanobelts (CNBs). The obtained molecule, known as
octabenzo[12]cyclacene, is acknowledged as one of the first fully
characterized synthetic segments of zigzag-edged (12,0) carbon
nanotube. Such molecular structures have been elusive targets for
synthetic chemists for the past 35 years.