Bottom-up chemical synthesis of three-dimensional conjugated carbon nanostructures: from carbon nanocages to carbon nanotubes

In this highlight, we present recent advances in the rational bottom-up chemical synthesis of three-dimensional (3-D) conjugated carbon nanostructures including carbon nanocages and carbon nanotubes. Derived from their efficient strategies for the construction of cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs), Itami et al. and Yamago et al. have successfully established bottom-up chemical syntheses for the construction of 3-D conjugated carbon structures, respectively. Two similar all-benzene carbon nanocages have been successfully prepared, which show intriguing photophysical properties. In addition, the initiation of carbon nanotube (CNT) growth from the selected CPPs was investigated by Itami et al., which provided a promising approach to the preparation of highly uniform CNTs.