Bonding Motifs in Metal–Organic Compounds on Surfaces

Development of photoelectrochemical immunosensor based on halide perovskite protected by organometallic compounds for determining interleukin-17A (IL-17A)

The overexpression of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is closely associated with the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and cancer, rendering precise identification of IL-17A level critical for disease diagnosis and prognosis monitoring. In this study, CsPbBr3 nanoclusters (NCs) were embedded in C16H14Br2O6Pb2 organometallic compound (Pb-MA MOC) via a hot injection approach. Through this way, the issue of CsPbBr3 NCs susceptible to decomposition in water was solved, and the photocurrent intensity that is generated by CsPbBr3 was significantly enhanced. A highly sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor for detecting IL-17A in human serum was developed using CsPbBr3/Pb-MA as the photoactive material. The electrode was initially modified with CsPbBr3/Pb-MA. Then, antibody-modified Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNs) with target analyte IL-17A captured, and IL-17A antibody-modified Au@CuNi diatomic catalyst (DAC) formed sandwich immune complex structure on the electrode. The existence of CuNi DAC led to a substantial reduction in photoelectric signal intensity due to oxidation of ascorbic acid in the supporting electrolyte. The photocurrent intensity exhibited linear correlation with IL-17A concentration within the range 15-750 pg/mL, and achieving an impressive detection limit of 1 pg/mL. Moreover, the sensor was successfully applied to the determination of IL-17A in human serum, suggesting its potential clinical applications.

Intra- and Inter-Self-Assembly of Identical Supramolecules on Silver Surfaces

Self-assembly of identical organometallic supramolecules into ordered superstructures is of great interest in both chemical science and nanotechnology due to its potential to generate neoteric properties through collective effects. In this work, we demonstrate that large-scale self-organization of atomically precise organometallic supramolecules can be achieved through cascaded on-surface chemical reactions, by the combination of intra- and inter-supramolecular interactions. Supramolecules with defined size and shape are first built through intramolecular reaction and intermolecular metal coordination, followed by the formation of well-ordered two-dimensional arrays with the assistance of Br atoms by -C-H···Br interactions. The mechanism of this process has been investigated from the perspectives of thermodynamics and kinetics.

Remarkably stable metal-organic frameworks on an inert substrate: M-TCNQ on graphene (M = Ni, Fe, Mn)

Potential applications of 2D metal-organic frameworks (MOF) require the frameworks to be monophase and well-defined at the atomic scale, to be decoupled from the supporting substrate, and to remain stable at the application conditions. Here, we present three systems meeting this elusive set of requirements: M-TCNQ (M = Ni, Fe, Mn) on epitaxial graphene/Ir(111). We study the systems experimentally by scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When synthesized on graphene, the 2D M-TCNQ MOFs are monophase with M₁(TCNQ)₁ stoichiometry, no alternative structure was observed with slight variation of the preparation protocol. We further demonstrate a remarkable chemical and thermal stability of TCNQ-based 2D MOFs: all the studied systems survive exposure to ambient conditions, with Ni-TCNQ doing so without any significant changes to its atomic-scale structure or chemical state. Thermally, the most stable system is Fe-TCNQ which remains stable above 500 °C, while all the tested MOFs survive heating to 250 °C. Overall, the modular M-TCNQ/graphene system combines the atomic-scale definition required for fundamental studies with the robustness and stability needed for applications, thus we consider it an ideal model for research in single atom catalysis, spintronics or high-density storage media.

Exploiting Cooperative Catalysis for the On-Surface Synthesis of Linear Heteroaromatic Polymers via Selective C-H Activation

Regiospecific C-H activation is a promising approach to achieve extended polymers with tailored structures. While a recent on-surface synthetic approach has enabled regioselective homocoupling of heteroaromatic molecules, only small oligomers have been achieved. Herein, selective C-H activation for dehydrogenative C-C couplings of hexaazatriphenylene by Scholl reaction is reported for the first time. By combining low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), we revealed the formation of one-dimensional polymers with a double-chain structure. The details of the growth process are rationalized by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, pointing out a cooperative catalytic action of Na and Ag adatoms in steering the C-H selectivity for the polymerization.

On-Surface Synthesis and Molecular Engineering of Carbon-Based Nanoarchitectures

On-surface synthesis via covalent coupling of adsorbed precursor molecules on metal surfaces has emerged as a promising strategy for the design and fabrication of novel organic nanoarchitectures with unique properties and potential applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, spintronics, catalysis, etc. Surface-chemistry-driven molecular engineering (i.e., bond cleavage, linkage, and rearrangement) by means of thermal activation, light irradiation, and tip manipulation plays critical roles in various on-surface synthetic processes, as exemplified by the work from the Ernst group in a prior issue of ACS Nano. In this Perspective, we highlight recent advances in and discuss the outlook for on-surface syntheses and molecular engineering of carbon-based nanoarchitectures.

Inspecting the nonbonding and antibonding orbitals in a surface-supported metal-organic framework

By using low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, ligand field theory and density functional theory calculations, we revealed the spatial distribution and energy separation of the nonbonding and antibonding orbitals associated with the top-Ni atoms in a surface-supported Ni-TPyP metal-organic framework with dinuclear coordination centres.

On-surface isostructural transformation from a hydrogen-bonded network to a coordination network for tuning the pore size and guest recognition

Rational manipulation of supramolecular structures on surfaces is of great importance and challenging. We show that imidazole-based hydrogen-bonded networks on a metal surface can transform into an isostructural coordination network for facile tuning of the pore size and guest recognition behaviours. Deposition of triangular-shaped benzotrisimidazole (H3btim) molecules on Au(111)/Ag(111) surfaces gives honeycomb networks linked by double N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds. While the H3btim hydrogen-bonded networks on Au(111) evaporate above 453 K, those on Ag(111) transform into isostructural [Ag3(btim)] coordination networks based on double N-Ag-N bonds at 423 K, by virtue of the unconventional metal-acid replacement reaction (Ag reduces H+). The transformation expands the pore diameter of the honeycomb networks from 3.8 Å to 6.9 Å, giving remarkably different host-guest recognition behaviours for fullerene and ferrocene molecules based on the size compatibility mechanism.

Charge-Induced Structural Changes in a Single Molecule Investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy

Intramolecular structural relaxations occurring upon electron transfer are crucial in determining the rate of redox reactions. Here, we demonstrate that subangstrom structural changes occurring upon single-electron charging can be quantified by means of atomically resolved atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the case of single copper(II)phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecules deposited on an ultrathin NaCl film. Imaging the molecule in distinct charge states (neutral and anionic) reveals characteristic differences in the AFM contrast. In comparison to density functional theory simulations these changes in contrast can be directly related to relaxations of the molecule's geometric structure upon charging. The dominant contribution arises from a nonhomogeneous vertical relaxation of the molecule, caused by a change in the electrostatic interaction with the surface.