Since carbon nanotubes have different properties such as conductivity, semiconductor characteristics, photoresponsiveness, and strength due to differences in structure, various properties such as light and bendable displays, power-saving super-integrated CPUs, and efficiency improvement of batteries and solar cells are available. It is expected to be applied.

　However, with the current manufacturing method, carbon nanotubes having various structures are simultaneously produced, and it is not possible to separate carbon nanotubes having a single structure.In order to solve this problem, a method has been proposed in which carbon nanobelts, which are a part of carbon nanotubes, are accurately synthesized and extended into carbon nanotubes having a single structure.

　Therefore, the research group adopted a strategy of first synthesizing strain-free cyclic molecules and then converting them into a tubular structure by a carbon-carbon bond formation reaction.As a procedure, two kinds of parts were synthesized from paraxylene, which is an inexpensive petroleum component, and bonded in order to synthesize a cyclic molecule.By attaching a highly reactive bromine atom to the cyclic molecule, it can be reacted with nickel to be removed and converted into a carbon-carbon bond.In this way, the world's first carbon nanobelt was synthesized.

　The carbon nanobelt, which is the result of research, has a structure and properties very similar to those of carbon nanotubes, and has the potential to be applied as a light-emitting material or semiconductor material.It also realizes the synthesis of carbon nanotubes with a single structure, paving the way for the development of new functional materials.

Paper information: [Science] Synthesis of a Carbon Nanobelt