The existence of graphyne was conjectured before 1960. In 2010, graphdiyne (graphyne with diacetylene groups) was synthesized on copper substrates. In 2022 a team claimed to have successfully used alkyne metathesis to synthesise graphyne though this claim is disputed. Later during 2022 synthesis of multi-layered γ‑graphyne was successfully performed through the polymerization of 1,3,5-tribromo-2,4,6-triethynylbenzene under Sonogashira coupling conditions. Recently, it has been claimed to be a competitor for graphene due to the potential of direction-dependent Dirac cones.