[4] The columnar phase in this compound further organises itself into sheets, which ultimately roll up like a carpet to form multi-walled nanotubes with an outer diameter of 20 nanometers and a wall thickness of 3 nm.

The nanotubes have sufficient length to fit between two platinum nanogap electrodes produced by scanning probe nanofabrication and are 180 nm apart.

The nanotubes as such are insulating, but, after one-electron oxidation with nitrosonium tetrafluoroborate (NOBF4), they conduct electricity.

[5] Organic synthesis of a hexabenzocoronene starts with an Aldol condensation reaction of dibenzyl ketone with a benzil derivative to give a substituted cyclopentadienone.

A Diels–Alder reaction with alkyne and subsequent expulsion of carbon monoxide gives a hexaphenylbenzene.