Liu, J., Ruffieux, P., Feng, X., Müllen, K., & Fasel, R. (2014). Cyclotrimerization of arylalkynes on Au(111). Chemical Communications, 50(76), 11200-11203. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4CC02859G
Surface-assisted cyclotrimerization of arylalkynes was studied on Au(111) by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions. Upon thermal activation, cyclotrimerization of 1,3,5-tris-(4-ethynylphenyl)benzene proceeds readily and with high selectivity, and results in two-dimensional covalently bonded polyphenylene nanostructures exhibiting a honeycomb topology.