Atomic‐Precision Engineering and Visualizing of Chiral Electronic States in Nitrogen‐Doped Nanographenes

ABSTRACT As a fundamental phenomenon in nature, chirality has been extensively studied in molecular structures; however, it remains underexplored at the electronic level. Understanding how structural chirality transfers into electronic states is crucial for uncovering the essence of many chiral effects. In this study, we report the engineering and direct visualization of chiral electronic states within an otherwise planar, achiral hexa‐ peri ‐hexabenzocoronene (HBC) framework. By employing atomically precise asymmetric nitrogen doping of HBC through on‐surface synthesis, we fabricate a C 3 ‐symmetric triaza‐HBC on Au(111). Utilizing high‐resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and non‐contact atomic force microscopy, we resolve the chiral molecular structure of triaza‐HBC confined to the surface, as well as the chiral texture of the resulting interfacial electronic states and its evolution at different energies. Density functional theory calculations reveal that these electronic chiral features arise from the molecule's intrinsic chiral orbitals, which hybridize strongly with the metal substrate while still retaining their chiral character. This study not only demonstrates a clear transfer of chirality from molecular structure to the electronic landscape but also provides a versatile platform for the rational design of chiral electronic molecules and materials.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2026-04-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.2278978
Primary Topic
Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Atomic‐Precision Engineering and Visualizing of Chiral Electronic States in Nitrogen‐Doped Nanographenes

Z Z Wang, Jun-Jie Duan, Dai Jia-qi, Ting Chen et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
article

Atomic‐Precision Engineering and Visualizing of Chiral Electronic States in Nitrogen‐Doped Nanographenes

Z Z Wang, Jun-Jie Duan, Dai Jia-qi, Ting Chen, Dong Wang, Zhi-Hao Li, Guan Luo, Yu Ge, Wei Ji, An‐Jing Zhao, Ruo‐Ning Li, Li‐Jun Wan
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT As a fundamental phenomenon in nature, chirality has been extensively studied in molecular structures; however, it remains underexplored at the electronic level. Understanding how structural chirality transfers into electronic states is crucial for uncovering the essence of many chiral effects. In this study, we report the engineering and direct visualization of chiral electronic states within an otherwise planar, achiral hexa‐ peri ‐hexabenzocoronene (HBC) framework. By employing atomically precise asymmetric nitrogen doping of HBC through on‐surface synthesis, we fabricate a C 3 ‐symmetric triaza‐HBC on Au(111). Utilizing high‐resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and non‐contact atomic force microscopy, we resolve the chiral molecular structure of triaza‐HBC confined to the surface, as well as the chiral texture of the resulting interfacial electronic states and its evolution at different energies. Density functional theory calculations reveal that these electronic chiral features arise from the molecule's intrinsic chiral orbitals, which hybridize strongly with the metal substrate while still retaining their chiral character. This study not only demonstrates a clear transfer of chirality from molecular structure to the electronic landscape but also provides a versatile platform for the rational design of chiral electronic molecules and materials.

Angewandte Chemie
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Renmin University of China (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
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