On-surface synthesis of graphene nanoribbons could advance quantum devices

An international multi-institution team of scientists has synthesized graphene nanoribbons—ultrathin strips of carbon atoms—on a titanium dioxide surface using an atomically precise method that removes a barrier for custom-designed carbon nanostructures required for quantum information sciences. When fashioned into nanoribbons, graphene could be applied in nanoscale devices; however, the lack of atomic-scale precision in using current state-of-the-art "top-down" synthetic methods stymie graphene's practical use. Researchers developed a "bottom-up" approach by building the graphene nanoribbon directly at the atomic level in a way that can be used in specific applications.