Date | 30 Aug 2024 |
Time | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (HKT) |
Venue | Lecture Theatre P4, Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building |
Speaker | Prof. Junzhi LIU |
Institution | Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong |

Abstract:
The pursuit of novel carbon allotropes has long continued in synthetic chemistry and materials science, and graphene has been the most well-investigated carbon nanostructure in the past decade. However, an analogous carbon pentaheptite with equal numbers of pentagons and heptagons has not yet been synthesized due to the challenges in the design and synthesis of nonhexagon motifs along two dimensions.[1-10] In this talk, I will present our efforts in synthesizing pentaheptite nanostructures. First, I will introduce the bottom-up organic synthesis of graphene molecules with non-alternant topologies, e.g. seven-five-seven-membered rings (7-5-7) and four continuous heptagons. In contrast to the successes achieved with varied nanographenes with non-alternant topologies, we also try to the development of facile and effective methods to synthesize lovely molecules bearing N-doped nonhexagons, including pentagon-heptagon pairs and pentagon-octagon pairs. Second, toward the synthesis of pentaheptite nanostructures will be introduced from our perspective.
References:
[1] Yu, Y.; Wang, C.; Hung, F.-F.; Chen, C.; Pan, D.; Che, C.-M.; Liu, J.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 22600. (Editors' Choice)
[2] Luo, H.; Liu, J.* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202410759.
[3] Qiu, S.; Valdivia, A.C.; Zhuang, W.; Hung, F.-F.; Che, C.-M.; Casado, J.*; Liu, J.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 16161. (Featured as Supplementary Cover).
[4] Wang, C.; Deng, Z.; Phillips, D.L.; Liu, J.* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202306890.
[5] Wang, J.; Zheng, A.; Xiang, Y.; Liu, J.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 14912. (Featured as Supplementary Cover).
[6] Luo, H.; Liu, J.* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202302761 (Highlighted by Synfacts).
[7] Yu, Y.; Wang, L.; Lin, D.; Rana, S.; Mali, K. S.; Ling, H.*; Xie, L.; De Feyter, S.; Liu, J.* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202303335.
[8] Wang, J.; Gámez, F. G.; Marín-Beloqui, J.; Diaz-Andres, A.; Miao, X.; Casanova, D.; Casado, J. *; Liu, J.* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202217124. (Featured as Front Cover, Highlighted by Synfacts).
[9] Wang, J.; Ju, Y. Y.; Low, K. H.; Tan, Y. Z.; Liu, J.* Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 11814.
[10] Fei, Y.; Fu, Y.; Bai, X.; Du, L.; Li, Z.; Komber, H.; Low, K. H.; Zhou, S.; Phillips, D. L.; Feng, X.; Liu, J.* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 2353.