Covalent coupling via dehalogenation on Ni(111) supported boron nitride and graphene

Polymerization of 1,3,5-tris(4-bromophenyl) benzene via dehalogenation on graphene and hexagonal boron nitride is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy experiments and density functional theory calculations. This work reveals how the interactions between molecules and graphene or h-BN grown on Ni(111) govern the surface-confined synthesis of polymers through C-C coupling.