Fig. 1: Illustration of sequentially regulating carbon hybridization states by employing the (4-methylcyano)phenyl-substituted compounds on surface. | Nature Communications

Fig. 1: Illustration of sequentially regulating carbon hybridization states by employing the (4-methylcyano)phenyl-substituted compounds on surface.

From: Visualizing stepwise evolution of carbon hybridization from sp3 to sp2 and to sp

Fig. 1

a The dehydrogenative homocoupling (step I) is initiated at temperature ΔT1, forming the 1,2-dicyanoethyl-linked polymer with sp3-hybridized linkages L(C–C). Thermal annealing to ΔT2 induces the elimination of HCN (step II), leading to the formation of cyanoethylene-linked polymer with sp2-hybridized linkages L(C=C). Further annealing to elevated temperature ΔT3 triggers further elimination of HCN (step III), resulting in the ethynylene-linked polymer with sp-hybridized linkages L(C≡C). Red dashed boxes highlight the defined linkages. ΔT1 < ΔT2 < ΔT3. b Three prototype precursors employed in this work are labeled as M1, M2, and M3.

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