Syntheses and Structures of [n]Cyclophenacenes and Related Carbon Nanobelts

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In this project, funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Kung K. Wang of the Department of Chemistry at West Virginia University is developing efficient synthetic routes using organic reactions for the construction of carbon nanobelts as repeating belt-like segments of carbon nanotubes. The current interest in carbon nanobelts is due, in part, to the possibility of using them as templates for growing carbon nanotubes which are of significant importance in microelectronics and nanotechnology. This synthetic approach offers the potential advantage over the existing empirical methods in producing carbon nanotubes with uniform diameter and orientation of the carbon hexagons, two factors of critical importance for applications in advanced manufacturing. Personalized educational and mentoring program is developed for each graduate or undergraduate student who participates in this research. Development of well-trained synthetic chemists adds to the human resources for the chemical industry. Functionalized carbon nanobelts are potential templates for growing carbon nanotubes of a uniform diameter and chirality. They have also been shown to exhibit unique size-dependent optoelectronic and redox properties. The Diels-Alder reactions are used to prepare key precursors for macrocyclization leading to carbon nanobelts. The high stereoselectivity and versatility of the Diels-Alder reaction could provide easy access to a variety of belt-like structures. Synthetic pathways to 1,4-diaryl-1,3-butadienes with new structural features and functional groups are developed for cycloaddition with dienophiles to allow for the easy assembly of major components of carbon nanobelts. The functional groups could also serve as hinges to connect two units of functionalized carbon nanobelts together to form structures that could better mimic those of carbon nanotubes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.