Direct observation of the magnetic ground state of the two smallest triangular nanographenes

TL;DR

This study reports the first synthesis and magnetic characterization of unsubstituted phenalenyl on a gold surface, revealing its open-shell ground state and Kondo effect, advancing the understanding of magnetic nanographenes.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel method combining in-solution synthesis and STM manipulation to create and analyze the smallest open-shell nanographene on a surface.

Findings

Phenalenyl exhibits an S=1/2 ground state with Kondo screening.

Comparison with triangulene shows different spin states and Kondo effects.

Sets a new size limit for magnetic nanographene synthesis on surfaces.

Abstract

Fusion of three benzene rings in a triangular fashion gives rise to the smallest open-shell graphene fragment, the phenalenyl radical, whose ${\pi}$-extension leads to an entire family of non-Kekul\'e triangular nanographenes with high-spin ground states. Here, we report the first synthesis of unsubstituted phenalenyl on a Au(111) surface, which is achieved by combining in-solution synthesis of the hydro-precursor and on-surface activation by atomic manipulation, using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Single-molecule structural and electronic characterization confirm its open-shell S = 1/2 ground state that gives rise to Kondo screening on the Au(111) surface. In addition, we compare the phenalenyl's electronic properties with those of triangulene, the second homolog in the series, whose S = 1 ground state induces an underscreened Kondo effect. Our results set a new lower size-limit in the on-surface synthesis of magnetic nanographenes that can serve as building blocks for the realization of new exotic quantum phases of matter.