Bottom-up Fabrication and Atomic-scale Characterization of Triply-linked, Laterally π-Extended Porphyrin Nanotapes

Porphyrin nanotapes (Por NTs) have attracted vast interest as potential molecular wires thanks to their exceptional electronic properties. Recently, Por NTs have been synthesized by solution-based methods, demonstrating high versatility and great potential for technological applications. However, their synthesis is tedious and their characterization limited by low solubility and stability. Here, we report the first example of meso-meso triply-fused Por NTs, which are prepared from a readily available Por precursor through a two-step synthesis on Au(111). The structural and electronic properties of individual Por NTs are addressed, both on Au(111) and on a thin insulating NaCl layer, by high-resolution scanning probe microscopy/spectroscopy complemented by density functional theory calculations.