Phosphonic Acids on an Atomically Defined Oxide Surface: The Binding Motif Changes with Surface Coverage

Modular Assembly of Vibrationally and Electronically Coupled Rhenium Bipyridine Carbonyl Complexes on Silicon

Hybrid inorganic/organic heterointerfaces are promising systems for next-generation photocatalytic, photovoltaic, and chemical-sensing applications. Their performance relies strongly on the development of robust and reliable surface passivation and functionalization protocols with (sub)molecular control. The structure, stability, and chemistry of the semiconductor surface determine the functionality of the hybrid assembly. Generally, these modification schemes have to be laboriously developed to satisfy the specific chemical demands of the semiconductor surface. The implementation of a chemically independent, yet highly selective, standardized surface functionalization scheme, compatible with nanoelectronic device fabrication, is of utmost technological relevance. Here, we introduce a modular surface assembly (MSA) approach that allows the covalent anchoring of molecular transition-metal complexes with sub-nanometer precision on any solid material by combining atomic layer deposition (ALD) and selectively self-assembled monolayers of phosphonic acids. ALD, as an essential tool in semiconductor device fabrication, is used to grow conformal aluminum oxide activation coatings, down to sub-nanometer thicknesses, on silicon surfaces to enable a selective step-by-step layer assembly of rhenium(I) bipyridine tricarbonyl molecular complexes. The modular surface assembly of molecular complexes generates precisely structured spatial ensembles with strong intermolecular vibrational and electronic coupling, as demonstrated by infrared spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The structure of the MSA can be chosen to avoid electronic interactions with the semiconductor substrate to exclusively investigate the electronic interactions between the surface-immobilized molecular complexes.

Phosphonic Acid Modified ZnO Nanowire Sensors: Directing Reaction Pathway of Volatile Carbonyl Compounds

Surface molecular transformations on nanoscale metal oxides are inherently complex, and directing those reaction pathways is still challenging but important for designing their various applications, including molecular sensing, catalysts, and others. Here, a rational strategy to direct a reaction pathway of volatile carbonyl compounds (nonanal: biomarker) on single-crystalline ZnO nanowire surfaces via molecular modification is demonstrated. The introduction of a methylphosphonic acid modification on the ZnO nanowire surface significantly alters the surface reaction pathway of nonanal via suppressing the detrimental aldol condensation reaction. This is directed by intentionally decreasing the probability of two neighboring molecular activations on the nanowire surface. Spectrometric measurements reveal the correlation between the suppression of the aldol condensation surface reaction and the improvement in the sensor performance. This tailored surface reaction pathway effectively reduces the operating temperature from 200 to 100 °C while maintaining the sensitivity. This is because the aldol condensation product ((E)-2-heptyl-2-undecenal) requires a higher temperature to desorb from the surface. Thus, the proposed facile strategy offers an interesting approach not only for the rational design of metal oxide sensors for numerous volatile carbonyl compounds but also for tailoring various surface reaction pathways on complex nanoscale metal oxides.

Norbornadiene photoswitches anchored to well-defined oxide surfaces: From ultrahigh vacuum into the liquid and the electrochemical environment

Employing molecular photoswitches, we can combine solar energy conversion, storage, and release in an extremely simple single molecule system. In order to release the stored energy as electricity, the photoswitch has to interact with a semiconducting electrode surface. In this work, we explore a solar-energy-storing model system, consisting of a molecular photoswitch anchored to an atomically defined oxide surface in a liquid electrolyte and under potential control. Previously, this model system has been proven to be operational under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. We used the tailor-made norbornadiene derivative 2-cyano-3-(4-carboxyphenyl)norbornadiene (CNBD) and characterized its photochemical and electrochemical properties in an organic electrolyte. Next, we assembled a monolayer of CNBD on a well-ordered Co₃O₄(111) surface by physical vapor deposition in UHV. This model interface was then transferred into the liquid electrolyte and investigated by photoelectrochemical infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy experiments. We demonstrate that the anchored monolayer of CNBD can be converted photochemically to its energy-rich counterpart 2-cyano-3-(4-carboxyphenyl)quadricyclane (CQC) under potential control. However, the reconversion potential of anchored CQC overlaps with the oxidation and decomposition potential of CNBD, which limits the electrochemically triggered reconversion.

Molecular anchoring to oxide surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum and in aqueous electrolytes: phosphonic acids on atomically-defined cobalt oxide

In this work, we investigated the interaction of phenylphosphonic acid (PPA, C₆H₅PO₃H₂) with atomically-defined Co₃O₄(111) thin films, grown on Ir(100), under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions and in the electrochemical environment. In the first step, we employed infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and followed the formation of a saturated monolayer (380 K) in UHV. We observed that the binding motif changes from a chelating tridentate in the sub-monolayer regime to a chelating bidentate at full monolayer coverages. In the electrochemical environment, we analyzed the interaction of PPA with the same Co₃O₄(111) surface by electrochemical infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (EC-IRRAS) (0.3 V_RHE-1.3 V_RHE). When adsorbed at pH 10 from an ammonia buffered aqueous solution, PPA binds to the surface in form of a fully deprotonated chelating bidentate. With increasing electrode potential, we observed two fully reversible processes. At low buffer concentration, protons are released upon oxidation of surface Co²⁺ ions and lead to protonation of the anchored phosphonates. At high buffer concentration, most of the protons released are accepted by NH₃. Simultaneously, the surface phosphonate changes its adsorption motif from bidentate to tridentate while adopting a more upright geometry.

Stability of functionalized platform molecules on Au(111)

Trioxatriangulenium (TOTA) platform molecules were functionalized with methyl, ethyl, ethynyl, propynyl, and hydrogen and sublimated onto Au(111) surfaces. Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy data reveal that >99% of ethyl-TOTA and methyl-TOTA remain intact, whereas 60% of H-TOTA and >99% of propynyl-TOTA and ethynyl-TOTA decompose. The observed tendency toward fragmentation on Au(111) is opposite to the sequence of gas-phase stabilities of the molecules. Although Au(111) is the noblest of all metal surfaces, the binding energies of the decomposition products to Au(111) destabilize the functionalized platforms by 2 to 3.9 eV (190-370 kJ/mol) and even render some of them unstable as revealed by density functional theory calculations. Van der Waals forces are important, as they drive the adsorption of the platform molecules.