Self-assembly of insoluble porphyrins on Au(111) under aqueous electrochemical control

Alkynyl Linkers as a Design Tool to Gain Control over the Self-Assembly of Meso-Substituted Porphyrins on HOPG

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) fall generally into two broad categories: those that are covalently bound either to the surface or to each other and those that rely on weaker forces such as hydrogen bonding or van der Waals forces. The engineering of the structure of SAMs formed from weaker forces is an exciting and complex field that often utilizes long alkane substituents bound to core moieties. The core provides the unique optical, electronic, or catalytic property desired, while the interdigitation of the alkane chains provides the means for creating well-regulated patterns of cores on the substrate. This design technique sometimes fails because some of the alkane substituents remain extended into solution rather than become interdigitated on the substrate. One contributor to this is steric hindrance between elements of the core and of the alkane chain. It is shown that the use of an alkyne linker between the core and the alkane chain can, in the case of meso-substituted porphyrins, significantly reduce this steric barrier and allow more stable and predictable surface structures to form. In particular, 5,15-bis(1-octynyl)porphyrin and 5,15-bis(1-tetradecynyl)porphyrin are shown to form significantly more stable SAMs than their alkane-linked counterparts. Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to provide detailed surface structures. Temperature and solution concentration dependence of the surface coverage is also reported. Density functional theory (DFT) is used to determine the energetic effects associated with alkane substitution at both the meso and β positions and the beneficial energetic effects of the alkyne linker.

Potential- and concentration-dependent self-assembly structures at solid/liquid interfaces

We report the potential and concentration controlled assembly of an alkyl-substituted benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (DDBDT) on an Au(111) electrode by in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM). It is found that a lamellar structure is formed at low concentrations, while herringbone-like and rhombus structures are obtained at high concentrations. In situ STM results reveal that herringbone-like and rhombus structures could transform into lamellar structures when the electrode potential is tuned negatively. A phase diagram is obtained to illustrate the relationship and effects of concentration and substrate potential on the interfacial structures of DDBDT. Both the substrate potential and the solute concentration can modulate the self-assembly structure through changing the molecular surface density. The results provide important insights into the understanding and precise control of molecular self-assembly on solid surfaces through a combination of different approaches.

The coulometric approach to the superoxide scavenging activity determination: The case of porphyrin derivatives influence on oxygen electroreduction

The electrochemical and antioxidant properties of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3′-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin ( H 2 T (m- OHPh ) P ) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4′-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin ( H 2 T (p- OHPh ) P ) were tested by the cyclic voltammetry (CV) method. It is shown that in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) the electroreduction processes of oxygen and porphyrins are under diffusion control. The electroreduction of H 2 T (m- OHPh ) P and H 2 T (p- OHPh ) P with potentials about -1 V are irreversible due to the chemical step (EC process) which leads to products with oxidation potentials about -0.5 V. Additionally in case of oxygen and porphyrin coreduction, both H 2 T (m- OHPh ) P and H 2 T (p- OHPh ) P influence the O 2•- electrosynthesis. The nonlinear dependence of the O 2•- peak current vs. porphyrin concentrations makes the available amperometric approach unsuitable for antioxidant activity estimation. To solve this problem, the coulometric parameters were calculated. The excellent linearity of the coulometric response of superoxide ion vs. porphyrins concentration was demonstrated for a wide concentration range. On the basis of coulometric responses, we constructed a parameter which separated the radical scavenging activity and variation of oxygen electroreduction. The superoxide scavenging activities of H 2 T (m- OHPh ) P and H 2 T (p- OHPh ) P were determined using the developed approach. The effect of OH group position on the superoxide scavenge activity is shown: H 2 T (p- OHPh ) P has a higher activity (slope = 0.75 L.mmol-1) than H 2 T (m- OHPh ) P (slope = 0.60 L.mmol-1).

Temperature dependent 2D self-assembled motif transition of copper–phthalocyanine derivates at air/HOPG interface: an STM study

The mechanism of irreversible structure transition of a CuPcOC₈ adlayer from quartic symmetry to hexagonal symmetry at the air/HOPG interface has been revealed by STM study.

Unravelling the molecular structure and packing of a planar molecule by combining nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning tunneling microscopy

The determination of the molecular structure of a porphyrin is achieved by using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) techniques. Since macroscopic crystals cannot be obtained in this system, this combination of techniques is crucial to solve the molecular structure without the need for X-ray crystallography. For this purpose, previous knowledge of the flatness of the reagent molecules (a porphyrin and its functionalizing group, a naphthalimide) and the resulting molecular structure obtained by a force-field simulation are used. The exponents of the I-V curves obtained by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) allow us to check whether the thickness of the film of molecules is greater than a monolayer, even when there is no direct access to the exposed surface of the metal substrate. Photoluminescence (PL), optical absorption, infrared (IR) reflectance and solubility tests are used to confirm the results obtained here with this NMR/STM/STS combination.

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.