A recent review by researchers at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and the Universitu of Barcelona provides an overview of an emerging class of carbon nanomaterials: nanoporous graphenes (NPGs). The work highlights how these structures, conceived as two-dimensional arrays of laterally bonded graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), could transform the future of nanoelectronics and spintronics.
Built through bottom-up on-surface synthesis, this approach enables atomic precision in assembling carbon nanoarchitectures, offering tunable electronic and magnetic properties. While GNRs have long been central to nanoelectronics due to their semiconducting and π-conjugated characteristics, NPGs extend their functionality by providing an intrinsic platform to regulate electronic coupling between adjacent ribbons. This feature allows for the controlled emergence of quantum anisotropy, where electrical conduction varies according to direction.
The team emphasizes that anisotropy in NPGs can be engineered through two main strategies: deliberate chemical design of inter-ribbon linkages and external modulation of electronic behavior. These strategies not only fine tune anisotropy but also make it possible to switch between transport confined to individual nanoribbons and lateral conduction that gives rise to quantum interference patterns. Importantly, this anisotropy has been shown to remain robust even in the presence of defects or irregularities, highlighting the resilience of the system.
Beyond their intrinsic properties, NPGs also demonstrate the ability to transfer anisotropic electronic behavior to heterostructures with other two-dimensional materials, opening new pathways for hybrid material platforms with fully adjustable quantum functionalities. Although the number of experimentally realized NPG structures remains limited, rapid progress in atomic-scale synthesis, simulation, and device integration suggests that these architectures could become highly versatile building blocks for embedding quantum nanocircuitry and advancing spintronic and nanoelectronic applications at the molecular scale.
