Identifying Subphthalocyanine Molecule Isomers by Using a Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Molecular suction pads: self-assembled monolayers of subphthalocyaninatoboron complexes on gold

Subphthalocyaninatoboron complexes with six long-chain alkylthio substituents in their periphery are applicable for the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold. Such films are prepared from solution with the axially chlorido-substituted derivatives and characterised by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The results are in accord with the formation of SAMs assembled by the chemisorption of both covalently bound thiolate-type as well as coordinatively bound thioether units. The adsorbate molecules adopt an essentially flat adsorption geometry on the substrate, resembling a suction pad on a surface.

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy investigation of subphthalocyanine and subnaphthalocyanine adlayers on a Au(111) electrode

The adsorption behaviors of subphthalocyanine (SubPc) and subnaphthalocyanine (SubNc) on the Au(111) surface were investigated by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM). Two types of ordered adlayer structures of SubPc were observed at 550 mV versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). All of the SubPc molecules take the Cl-down adsorption configuration on Au(111) in both structures. The ordered adlayers exist in the potential range between 350 and 650 mV. The SubNc molecules adsorb on Au(111) in a less-ordered pattern than the SubPc molecules. The present work provides direct evidence for understanding the potential-controlled adsorption behaviors of SubPc and SubNc on the Au(111) surface.

Molecular self-assembly from building blocks synthesized on a surface in ultrahigh vacuum: kinetic control and topo-chemical reactions

Self-assembly of organic molecules on solid surfaces under ultrahigh vacuum conditions has been the focus of intense study, in particular utilizing the technique of scanning tunneling microscopy. The size and complexity of the organic compounds used in such studies are in general limited by thermal decomposition in the necessary vacuum sublimation step. An interesting alternative approach is to deposit smaller molecular precursors, which react with each other on the surface and form the building blocks for the subsequent self-assembly. This has however hitherto not been explored to any significant extent. Here, we perform a condensation reaction between aldehyde and amine precursors codeposited on a Au(111) surface. The reaction product consists of a three-spoke oligo-phenylene-ethynylene backbone with alkyl chains attached through imine coupling. We characterize the self-assembled structures and molecular conformations of the complex reaction product and find that the combined reaction and self-assembly process exhibits pronounced kinetic effects leading to formation of qualitatively different molecular structures depending on the reaction/assembly conditions. At high amine flux/low substrate temperature, compact triimine structures of high conformational order are formed, which inherit organizational motifs from structures formed from one of the reactants. This suggests a topochemical reaction. At low amine flux/high substrate temperature, open porous networks with a high degree of conformational disorder are formed. Both structures are entirely different from that obtained when the triimine product synthesized ex-situ is deposited onto the surface. This demonstrates that the approach of combined self-assembly and on-surface synthesis may allow formation of unique structures that are not obtainable through self-assembly from conventionally deposited building blocks.

Chiral Ordering and Conformational Dynamics for a Class of Oligo-phenylene-ethynylenes on Au(111)

Adsorption structures formed from a class of planar organic molecules on the Au(111) surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions have been characterized using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The molecules have different geometries, linear, bent, or three-spoke, but all consist of a conjugated aromatic backbone formed from three or four benzene rings connected by ethynylene spokes and functionalized at all ends with an aldehyde, a hydroxyl, and a bulky tert-butyl group. Upon adsorption, the molecules adopt different surface conformations some of which are chiral. For the majority of the observed adsorption structures, chirality is expressed also in the molecular tiling pattern, and the two levels of chirality display a high degree of correlation. The formation and chiral ordering of the self-assembled structures are shown to result from dynamic interchanges between a diffusing lattice gas and the nucleated islands, as well as from a chiral switching process in which molecules alter their conformation by an intramolecular rotation around a molecular spoke, enabling them to accommodate to the tiling pattern of the surrounding molecular structures. The kinetics of the conformational switching is investigated from time-resolved, variable temperature STM, showing the process to involve an activation energy of approximately 0.3 eV depending on the local molecular environment. The molecule-molecule interactions appear primarily to be of van der Waals character, despite the investigated compounds having functional moieties capable of forming intermolecular hydrogen bonds.

Molecular Structure of Chloro-dodecafluorosubphthalocyanato Boron(III) by Gas-Phase Electron Diffraction and Quantum Chemical Calculations

The molecular structure of the chloro-dodecafluorosubphthalocyaninato boron(III) (F-SubPc) was determined with use of Gas Electron Diffraction (GED) and high-level quantum chemical calculations. The present results show that the F-SubPc molecule has a cone-shaped configuration, isoindole units are not planar, and the pyrrole ring has an envelope conformation. The structure parameters in the gas phase are determined. Some structural details can be observed such as the dihedral angle about the bond connecting the pyrrole ring and the benzene ring being ca. 174 degrees . High-level theoretical calculations with several extended basis sets for this molecule have been carried out. The calculations are in very good agreement with experimental methods: X-ray and GED. Nevertheless, some disagreements particularly related to the B-Cl bond distance found in GED are discussed. Vibrational frequencies were computed obtaining eight values below 100 cm-1 and three bending potentials were examined. They suggest that this molecule is very flexible.

Phthalocyanines: old dyes, new materials. Putting color in nanotechnology

Phthalocyanines are versatile building blocks for fabricating materials at the nanometer scale. These colored macrocycles exhibit fascinating physical properties which arise from their delocalized pi-electronic structure. This article describes why these molecules are targets for different scientific purposes and technological applications.

Deposition of Thermally Unstable Molecules with the Spray-Jet Technique on Au(111) Surface

A porphyrin derivative (5,15-bis(4-ethynylphenyl)-10,20-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)porphyrin: trans-BETBPP) possessing chemically reactive substituents was successfully deposited on an Au(111) surface with a new molecular beam deposition system with use of a spray-jet technique (Spray-jet-MBD) without denaturing the molecules. The deposited molecular overlayers were observed at 77 K under ultrahigh vacuum condition by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). They form two different overlayer structures: a linear arrangement and a square lattice structure. In these overlayers, some molecules were accidentally moved by STM tip agitation, which indicates that the molecules were not polymerized during the deposition process.

High-Resolution Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Images of Molecular Overlayers Prepared by a New Molecular Beam Deposition Apparatus with Spray-Jet Technique

We developed a new molecular beam deposition apparatus using a spray-jet technique for high-quality thin film preparation of nonsublimable molecules. The apparatus was used to deposit chloro[tri-tert-butyl-subphthalocyaninato]boron(III) (TBSubPc) molecules on an Au(111) surface for analysis by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Highly resolved images, in which tert-butyl groups in a TBSubPc molecule were clearly identifiable, were obtained. The image quality and the resolution of these images compared favorably well to STM images taken on reference samples which were sublimed onto Au (111) from a heated crucible.