Graphene nanoribbons synthesized from molecular precursor polymerization on Au(110)

A spectroscopic study of 10,10-dibromo-9,9 bianthracene (DBBA) molecules deposited on the Au(110) surface is presented, by means of ultraviolet and X-ray photoemission, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Through a thermally activated procedure, these molecular precursors polymerize and eventually form graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with atomically controlled shape and width, very important building blocks for several technological applications. The GNRs observed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) appear as short segments on top of the gold surface reconstruction, pointing out the delicate balance among surface diffusion and surface corrugation in their synthesis on the Au(110) surface.