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Rinkovec T, Kalebic D, Dehaen W, Whitelam S, Harvey JN, De Feyter S. On the origin of cooperativity effects in the formation of self-assembled molecular networks at the liquid/solid interface. Chem Sci 2024; 15:6076-6087. [PMID: 38665531 PMCID: PMC11041291 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00284a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In this work we investigate the behaviour of molecules at the nanoscale using scanning tunnelling microscopy in order to explore the origin of the cooperativity in the formation of self-assembled molecular networks (SAMNs) at the liquid/solid interface. By studying concentration dependence of alkoxylated dimethylbenzene, a molecular analogue to 5-alkoxylated isophthalic derivatives, but without hydrogen bonding moieties, we show that the cooperativity effect can be experimentally evaluated even for low-interacting systems and that the cooperativity in SAMN formation is its fundamental trait. We conclude that cooperativity must be a local effect and use the nearest-neighbor Ising model to reproduce the coverage vs. concentration curves. The Ising model offers a direct link between statistical thermodynamics and experimental parameters, making it a valuable tool for assessing the thermodynamics of SAMN formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Rinkovec
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200F B-3001 Leuven Belgium
| | - Demian Kalebic
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200F B-3001 Leuven Belgium
| | - Wim Dehaen
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200F B-3001 Leuven Belgium
| | - Stephen Whitelam
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Jeremy N Harvey
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200F B-3001 Leuven Belgium
| | - Steven De Feyter
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200F B-3001 Leuven Belgium
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2
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Yang TY, Gu SW, Zhang YX, Zheng F, Kong D, Dunin-Borkowski RE, Wu D, Ge ZH, Feng J, Jin L. Pseudopolymorphic Phase Engineering for Improved Thermoelectric Performance in Copper Sulfides. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2308353. [PMID: 37903494 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202308353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Polymorphism (and its extended form - pseudopolymorphism) in solids is ubiquitous in mineralogy, crystallography, chemistry/biochemistry, materials science, and the pharmaceutical industries. Despite the difficulty of controlling (pseudo-)polymorphism, the realization of specific (pseudo-)polymorphic phases and associated boundary structures is an efficient route to enhance material performance for energy conversion and electromechanical applications. Here, this work applies the pseudopolymorphic phase (PP) concept to a thermoelectric copper sulfide, Cu2- x S (x ≤ 0.25), via CuBr2 doping. A peak ZT value of 1.25 is obtained at 773 K in Cu1.8 S + 3 wt% CuBr2 , which is 2.3 times higher than that of a pristine Cu1.8 S sample. Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy confirms the transformation of pristine Cu1.8 S low digenite into PP-engineered high digenite, as well as the formation of (semi-)coherent interfaces between different PPs, which is expected to enhance phonon scattering. The results demonstrate that PP engineering is an effective approach for achieving improved thermoelectric performance in Cu-S compounds. It is also expected to be useful in other materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian-Yu Yang
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
| | - Shi-Wei Gu
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
| | - Yi-Xin Zhang
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
| | - Fengshan Zheng
- Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
- Electron Microscopy Center, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 511442, China
| | - Deli Kong
- Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Rafal E Dunin-Borkowski
- Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Di Wu
- Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China
| | - Zhen-Hua Ge
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
| | - Jing Feng
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
| | - Lei Jin
- Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
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3
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Yu L, Li S, Lu Y, Wang Z, Fu M, Wei S, Xu C, Wang Q, Liu X, Wang L. Phase Transitions of Naphthalene-2,3-carbonitride Steered by Solvent Effects and Metal Ion Concentration Variation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:1072-1078. [PMID: 38154099 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
The delicate regulation of structural phase transition can provide advanced approaches for fabricating desired and well-organized nanoarchitectures on surfaces. Introduction of metal ions into pure organic systems can facilitate the phase transition from hydrogen-bonded structures to metal-organic structures by coordinating with organic molecules. However, it remains a challenge to attain a phase transition dominated by variable metal coordination configurations through adjustment of the metal ion concentration. Herein, we report the phase transitions of naphthalene-2,3-carbonitride (2,3-DCN) molecules on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) under varying solvents and Cu2+ ion concentrations. By integrating data from scanning tunneling microscopy imaging and density functional theory calculations, it is demonstrated that phase transitions of 2,3-DCN occur through forming diverse coordination configurations where Cu2+ ions can coordinate with 2,3-DCN and 1-nonanoic acid or Cl- ions to form different ligand components with a coordination number of 4 when varying the molar ratios of 2,3-DCN to Cu2+ ion in the 1-nonanoic acid solvent. However, in the case of 1-heptanoic acid as a solvent, the self-assembly structure of 2,3-DCN only changes via the alteration of hydrogen bonding sites and Cu2+ ions do not coordinate with 2,3-DCN molecules. These findings provide valuable insights into the coordination behavior of metal ions in different solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longnan Yu
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Sihao Li
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Yan Lu
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Zhongping Wang
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Mingming Fu
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Sheng Wei
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Changgang Xu
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Xiaoqing Liu
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
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4
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Aoi S, Hirose S, Soeda W, Kaneko H, Mali KS, De Feyter S, Tahara K. Spatially Controlled Aryl Radical Grafting of Graphite Surfaces Guided by Self-Assembled Molecular Networks of Linear Alkane Derivatives: The Importance of Conformational Dynamics. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:5986-5994. [PMID: 37068184 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The covalent functionalization of carbon surfaces with nanometer-scale precision is of interest because of its potential in a range of applications. We herein report the controlled grafting of graphite surfaces using electrochemically generated aryl radicals templated by self-assembled molecular networks (SAMNs) of bisalkylurea derivatives. A bisalkylurea derivative having two butoxy units acts as a template for the covalent functionalization of aryl groups in between self-assembled rows of this molecule. In contrast, grafting occurs without a spatial order when an SAMN of bis(tetradecyl)urea was used as a template. This indicates that a degree of dynamics at the alkyl termini is required to favor controlled covalent attachment, a situation that is suppressed by strong intrarow intermolecular interactions resulting from the hydrogen bonding of the urea groups, but favored by terminal short alkoxy groups. The present information is useful for understanding the mechanism of the template-guided aryl radical grafting and the molecular design of new generations of template molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sota Aoi
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
| | - Shingo Hirose
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
| | - Wakana Soeda
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
| | - Hiromasa Kaneko
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
| | - Kunal S Mali
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 F, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Steven De Feyter
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 F, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kazukuni Tahara
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
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5
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Yamagata K, Maeda M, Tessari Z, Mali KS, Tobe Y, De Feyter S, Tahara K. Solvent Mediated Nanoscale Quasi-Periodic Chirality Reversal in Self-Assembled Molecular Networks Featuring Mirror Twin Boundaries. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2207209. [PMID: 36683210 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202207209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Grain boundaries in polycrystals have a prominent impact on the properties of a material, therefore stimulating the research on grain boundary engineering. Structure determination of grain boundaries of molecule-based polycrystals with submolecular resolution remains elusive. Reducing the complexity to monolayers has the potential to simplify grain boundary engineering and may offer real-space imaging with submolecular resolution using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Herein, the authors report the observation of quasi-periodic nanoscale chirality switching in self-assembled molecular networks, in combination with twinning, as revealed by STM at the liquid/solid interface. The width of the chiral domain structure peaks at 12-19 nm. Adjacent domains having opposite chirality are connected continuously through interdigitated alkoxy chains forming a 1D defect-free domain border, reflecting a mirror twin boundary. Solvent co-adsorption and the inherent conformational adaptability of the alkoxy chains turn out to be crucial factors in shaping grain boundaries. Moreover, the epitaxial interaction with the substrate plays a role in the nanoscale chirality reversal as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyohei Yamagata
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, 214-8571, Japan
| | - Matsuhiro Maeda
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, 214-8571, Japan
| | - Zeno Tessari
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kunal S Mali
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yoshito Tobe
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Ta Hsueh Road, Hsinchu, 30030, Taiwan
- Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Center, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, Osaka, 567-0047, Japan
| | - Steven De Feyter
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kazukuni Tahara
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, 214-8571, Japan
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Fung KLY, Skowron ST, Hayter R, Mason SE, Weare BL, Besley NA, Ramasse QM, Allen CS, Khlobystov AN. Direct measurement of single-molecule dynamics and reaction kinetics in confinement using time-resolved transmission electron microscopy. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:9092-9103. [PMID: 36920796 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp05183d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
We report experimental methodologies utilising transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as an imaging tool for reaction kinetics at the single molecule level, in direct space and with spatiotemporal continuity. Using reactions of perchlorocoronene (PCC) in nanotubes of different diameters and at different temperatures, we found a period of molecular movement to precede the intermolecular addition of PCC, with a stronger dependence of the reaction rate on the nanotube diameter, controlling the local environments around molecules, than on the reaction temperature (-175, 23 or 400 °C). Once initiated, polymerisation of PCC follows zero-order reaction kinetics with the observed reaction cross section σobs of 1.13 × 10-9 nm2 (11.3 ± 0.6 barn), determined directly from time-resolved TEM image series acquired with a rate of 100 frames per second. Polymerisation was shown to proceed from a single point, with molecules reacting sequentially, as in a domino effect, due to the strict conformational requirement of the Diels-Alder cycloaddition creating the bottleneck for the reaction. The reaction mechanism was corroborated by correlating structures of reaction intermediates observed in TEM images, with molecular weights measured by using mass spectrometry (MS) when the same reaction was triggered by UV irradiation. The approaches developed in this study bring the imaging of chemical reactions at the single-molecule level closer to traditional concepts of chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayleigh L Y Fung
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Stephen T Skowron
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Ruth Hayter
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Stephen E Mason
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Benjamin L Weare
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Nicholas A Besley
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Quentin M Ramasse
- SuperSTEM Laboratory, SciTech Daresbury Campus, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury WA4 4AD, UK.,School of Chemical and Process Engineering and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Christopher S Allen
- Electron Physical Sciences Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source Ltd., Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK.,Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH, UK
| | - Andrei N Khlobystov
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
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7
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Xie R, Zeng X, Jiang ZH, Hu Y, Lee SL. STM Study of the Self-Assembly of Biphenyl-3,3',5,5'-Tetracarboxylic Acid and Its Mixing Behavior with Coronene at the Liquid-Solid Interface. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:3637-3644. [PMID: 36867761 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We report a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of the molecular self-assembly of biphenyl-3,3',5,5'-tetracarboxylic acid (BPTC) at the octanoic acid/graphite interface. STM revealed that the BPTC molecules generated stable bilayers and monolayers under high and low sample concentrations, respectively. Besides hydrogen bonds, the bilayers were stabilized by molecular π-stacking, whereas the monolayers were maintained by solvent co-adsorption. A thermodynamically stable Kagomé structure was obtained upon mixing BPTC with coronene (COR), while kinetic trapping of COR in the co-crystal structure was found by the subsequent deposition of COR onto a preformed BPTC bilayer on the surface. Force field calculation was conducted to compare the binding energies of different phases, which helped to provide plausible explanations for the structural stability formed via kinetic and thermodynamic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongbin Xie
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
- College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Xingming Zeng
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhi-Heng Jiang
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Yi Hu
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Shern-Long Lee
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
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Catalyst-controlled functionalization of carboxylic acids by electrooxidation of self-assembled carboxyl monolayers. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1319. [PMID: 35288543 PMCID: PMC8921278 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28992-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
While the electrooxidative activation of carboxylic acids is an attractive synthetic methodology, the resulting transformations are generally limited to either homocoupling or further oxidation followed by solvent capture. These reactions require extensive electrolysis at high potentials, which ultimately renders the methodology incompatible with metal catalysts that could possibly provide new and complementary product distributions. This work establishes a proof-of-concept for a rare and synthetically-underutilized strategy for selective electrooxidation of carboxylic acids in the presence of oxidatively-sensitive catalysts that control reaction selectivity. We leverage the formation of self-adsorbed monolayers of carboxylate substrates at the anode to promote selective oxidation of the adsorbed carboxylate over a more easily-oxidized catalyst. Consequently, reactions operate at lower potentials, greater faradaic efficiencies, and improved catalyst compatibility over conventional approaches, which enables reactions to be performed with inexpensive Fe complexes that catalyze selective radical additions to olefins. This work leverages substrate self-assembly at an electrode to promote selective substrate electrooxidation in the presence of oxidatively sensitive catalysts. This strategy is applied to decarboxylative coupling of carboxylic acids with olefins.
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Steeno R, Minoia A, Lazzaroni R, Mali KS, De Feyter S. Host-guest chemistry under confinement: peeking at early self-assembly events. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:3138-3141. [PMID: 35171159 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc07206d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Nanoscopic lateral confinement created on a graphite surface enabled the study of embryonic stages of molecular self-assembly on solid surfaces using scanning tunneling microscopy performed at the solution/solid interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roelof Steeno
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Andrea Minoia
- Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials, Materials Research Institute, University of Mons, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Roberto Lazzaroni
- Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials, Materials Research Institute, University of Mons, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Kunal S Mali
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Steven De Feyter
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
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