Graphene Nanoribbon-Graphdiyne Lateral Heterojunctions with Atomically Abrupt Interfaces

Abstract: Carbon-based 2D heterostructures represent an attractive platform for nanoelectronics owing to their tunable electronic and transport properties, yet achieving precise control over their fabrication remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate the on--surface synthesis of covalently bonded lateral heterostructures between armchair graphene nanoribbons and metalated hydrogenated graphdiyne networks on Au(111). Atomic--resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy combined with density functional theory reveals the formation mechanism of covalent interfacial bonds and highlights the critical influence of surface chemistry. In particular, chemisorbed bromine atoms suppress junction formation, while controlled atomic hydrogen dosing increases the bonding efficiency to 71\%. Electronic structure and transport calculations demonstrate how the metallic substrate influences the supported heterostructure, whereas in the freestanding limit, the two carbon subsystems retain their intrinsic properties, forming an atomically narrow junction that enables voltage-tunable spatial current separation. These results define a viable strategy for engineering graphene--graphdiyne heterostructures and advance the design of all-carbon nanoscale electronic architectures.