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Researchers reported making NR-147-Q, a molecular graphene nanoribbon with a 35.8 nm backbone, 147 linearly fused rings and a 920-atom core, through three successive synthetic iterations. The “three steps” describe a modular laboratory method—not a simple home procedure—and the record claim applies to the molecular series in the study, not every nanoribbon made by any technique.
What “the longest graphene nanoribbon” means here
Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are narrow strips of graphene. The study reported a series of molecular GNRs, including NR-27-Q, NR-67-Q and NR-147-Q. NR-147-Q was the longest member of that series: its backbone measured 35.8 nanometers and contained 147 linearly fused rings, with a 920-atom core. The authors built the ribbons from molecular segments approximately 2 nanometers long. The 2023 study in Chem reports these dimensions.
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That is a specific, qualified record: the longest molecular GNR in the reported study and series. It is not a claim that NR-147-Q is longer than every GNR produced by all methods. Other GNRs grown on surfaces have also reached lengths measured in tens of nanometers. The distinction matters because a discrete molecule assembled from building blocks in solution is not the same kind of product as a ribbon grown on a surface.
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The strategy used two complementary molecular building blocks. Rather than elongating a ribbon one small unit at a time, the researchers joined preassembled segments through reactive groups at their ends.
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Start with complementary segments
One building block, NR-7-Q, has terminal o-quinone groups. The other, NR-11-A, has terminal o-diamine groups. Their complementary ends are designed to react together.
Connect the ends through ring formation
The end groups undergo imine-type cyclocondensation, creating pyrazine rings that connect the molecular segments. In this way, the researchers used relatively long, preassembled blocks to extend the ribbon in a convergent, modular route.
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Repeat the extension to reach the longest member
The study describes three successive one-step iterations, producing NR-27-Q, NR-67-Q and finally NR-147-Q. The iteration count is the basis for the headline: it refers to the sequence of molecular extensions used to reach the longest reported member, not to three household actions or a consumer-facing recipe.
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The available reporting establishes the building blocks, reaction logic and resulting series, but not a complete laboratory protocol with exact conditions, yields or purification details. It is therefore possible to explain the synthesis concept without presenting it as a reproducible set of instructions.
What the researchers could characterize
The project report says the ribbons’ solubility enabled purification by column chromatography and allowed structural, optoelectronic and redox characterization. It also reports correlations between GNR length and properties, particularly electrical conductivity. Those findings make a length-controlled molecular series useful for studying how structure relates to electronic behavior; they do not, on their own, establish a finished device or commercial performance.
What the result could mean for technology
Precisely defined nanoribbons are of interest because their dimensions and atomic structure can influence their electronic and optical properties. The contemporaneous coverage discusses fluorescence and possible future uses in electronics and optoelectronics, including areas such as LEDs, photovoltaics and imaging. It characterizes the experiments as preliminary, so these should be understood as potential research directions—not products or applications demonstrated as ready for deployment.
The result’s practical significance is the synthesis strategy and the ability to study a long, structurally defined molecular ribbon. Whether this approach can translate into useful devices depends on further research beyond the reported molecular synthesis and characterization.
Project context
The work was associated with e-Sequence, an EU-funded project coordinated by the University of the Basque Country. CORDIS lists grant agreement 722951 and gives the project dates as November 1, 2017, through October 31, 2024; its reporting page was updated May 23, 2025.
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