Thermally activated γ-aluminium oxide was found to be very effective for C–F bond activation in trifluoromethylated arenes. Depending on the activation degree the respective arenes can be converted either to cyclic ketones or to the respective carboxylic acids with good to excellent yields.The high selectivity of the reaction is a consequence of an effective encapsulation of the reagent in to the alumina nanopore environment. In general our finding demonstrates that the CF₃ functionality can be reconsidered as synthetically useful functionality and an effective synthon for carboxyl groups.

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We have shown that specially designed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be quantitatively converted to the “preprogrammed” ultra-short singly-capped nanotubes bearing several CNT segments. The tubes obtained by this route are already bonded to the metal and can be used directly for the SWCNT fabrication on the same metal surface. We have demonstrated that CNT seeds are active in tube growth initiation and can be grown to isomerically pure SWCNTs by epitaxial elongation under Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) condition. For the first time the uncontrolled CNT nucleation has been avoided and predefined isomerically pure and defect free SWCNTs were effectively fabricated.

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A specially fluorinated C₆₀ fullerene precursor was converted to the target C₆₀ cage by laser ionisation via highly selective HF elimination without any detectable side reactions and undesired fragmentations. The fully selective transformation to the target fullerene has been unambiguously demonstrated using a ¹³C-labeled precursor. In general the findings open new horizons for the synthesis of new carbon-based nanomaterials, which cannot be obtained by any conventional alternative method.

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We have synthesized and characterized single crystals of the fulleride based 1D electric conductor (KC₆₀(THF)₅·2THF) in which C₆₀ anions are highly ordered in 2D corrugated layers. The combination of the counter alkali metal cation coordinated with solvent ligands prevents the dimerization of C₆₀^·- and the conductivity loss over a large temperature range. The spatial separation of particular fullerene anions kept their orbital correlation resulting in the 1D conductivity in the 2D layer with counterintuitive anisotropy. On the base of experimental ESR and SQUID data and X-ray analysis we have demonstrated that conduction electrons move freely only along the C₆₀-channels with larger intercentroid separation whereas the channels with shorter C₆₀-C₆₀ contacts in the same layer are nonconductive.

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Building bowls: An effective intramolecular aryl–aryl coupling is the key step in the rational synthesis of carbon based nanostructures. We have found that such a process can be embodied very efficiently through quantitative HF elimination on active Al₂O₃. The process is characterized by an unprecedentedly high chemoselectivity and regiospecificity allowing the facile synthesis of extended bowl shaped hydrocarbons in multi-gram scale.

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Synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons possessing a carbon connectivity required for the generation of extended hemispherical buckybowls via intramolecular cyclodehydrogenation is a key prerequisity for the rational synthesis of isomerically pure single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). We have developed several approaches to the precursors for the rational synthesis of isomerically pure armchair, zigzag and chiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The suggested synthesis strategy provides further options for the construction of precursors for virtually any possible SWCNT chiralities.

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A Pt surface-catalyzed cyclodehydrogenation reaction enabled selective formation of various carbon based nanostructures from specially “preprogrammed” polycyclic organic precursors. As no C-C bond rearrangement occurred during the reaction, only specifically designed precursors gave the desired carbon nanostructure (see picture).This efficient and selective condensation process opens new horizons in the directed synthesis of fullerenes and related structures. On the basis of these results, for the first time we successfully proceeded the rational synthesis of a higher fullerene C₈₄(20) by folding of the respective C₈₄H₄₂ precursor.

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