Confined polydiacetylene polymerization reactions for programmed length control

Polydiacetylene polymers of defined lengths are formed from self-assembled precursors inside nanocorrals created within grafted graphite substrates. A scanning tunneling microscope tip is used to nanoshave corrals at the liquid–solid interface allowing orientationally controlled supramolecular self-assembly of linear diacetylene molecules. Electrical pulses trigger topological one-dimensional polymerization reactions that are confined by the nanocorral template dimensions.