Molecular nanographenes: The legacy of benzene in carbon chemistry
Vol. 121 No. 4 (2025), Chemical Research
Vol. 121 No. 4 (2025)

Molecular nanographenes: The legacy of benzene in carbon chemistry

Chemical Research
https://doi.org/10.62534/rseq.aq.2099
Published 2025-12-23
Juan Lión-Villar
Departamento de Química Orgánica I, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid - IMDEA-Nanociencia, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9883-0104
Patricia Izquierdo-García
Departamento de Química Orgánica I, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5004-1375
Jesús Manuel Fernández-García
Departamento de Química Orgánica I, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7366-6845
Nazario Martín León
Departamento de Química Orgánica I, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid - IMDEA-Nanociencia, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5355-1477
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Keywords

Carbon
Aromaticy
Graphene
Nanographenes
Benzene
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  • Abstract 36
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Abstract

The article outlines carbon’s structural versatility and the conceptual path from benzene to carbon nanomaterials. It reviews aromaticity, from Kekulé’s proposals to Hückel’s and Clar’s rules, explaining stability and reactivity in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It then examines graphene and other 2D materials, followed by nanographenes whose electronic properties depend on size, edge structure, and defects. Molecular nanographenes with induced chirality are discussed, emphasizing how racemization barriers control chiroptical behavior. The article concludes with chiral bilayer nanographenes, showing how interlayer overlap governs their electrochemical and photophysical properties, establishing bilayer effects as a design tool for tuning optoelectronic performance.

https://doi.org/10.62534/rseq.aq.2099
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