PhD Thesis Defense | Paula Angulo Portugal

Tailoring active sites in graphene nanostructures by on-surface synthesis

Supervisor: Martina Corso and Dimas G. de Oteyza

SUMMARY

This thesis explores how atomic-scale design of graphene-based nanostructures enables precise control over their electronic properties and chemical reactivity. Using on-surface synthesis combined with scanning probe microscopy and laboratory- and synchrotron-based spectroscopic techniques, a range of functionalized, porous, and nitrogen-doped graphene nanostructures are investigated. The results demonstrate how the impact of the functionalization influences the properties of these nanostructures, enabling band-structure tuning, improved stability, and increased affinity toward small gas molecules. Metal coordination at nitrogen sites and pore cavities further introduces site-specific reactivity relevant for sensing and catalytic processes. Overall, this work highlights the potential of atomically precise carbon materials as versatile building blocks for future nanoelectronic, sensing, and catalytic devices.