Amino-nitro-azobenzene dimers as a prototype for a molecular-level machine

Tuning the photomechanical behavior and excellent elasticity of azobenzene via cocrystal engineering

Obtaining crystals with different photomechanical responses and excellent mechanical properties simultaneously through cocrystal engineering based on the same photoactive molecule.

Low-Threshold Reversible Electron-Induced and Selective Photoinduced Switching of Azobenzene Derivatives under Ambient Conditions

Mono-carboxyl-functionalized azobenzene and arylazopyrazole have been employed for electron-induced and photoinduced switching under ambient conditions. The microscopic structure and the switching behavior is understood using scanning tunneling microscopy. The carboxyl functional group in these molecules offers low threshold energy for the electron-induced reversible switching compared with nonfunctionalized azobenzene. The low threshold is understood using charged intermediate states during the switching. A selectivity has been observed for the photoinduced switching. Because of strong hydrogen bonding, only the free phenyl groups in the molecules change their configuration.

Mechanism of a molecular photo-switch adsorbed on Si(100)

We present a combined scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory study of a compact molecular photoswitch on a Si(100) surface.

On the molecular mechanism of non-radiative decay of nitrobenzene and the unforeseen challenges this simple molecule holds for electronic structure theory

We present a complete mechanistic picture of the non-radiative relaxation of nitrobenzene via IC and ISC along three internal coordinates.

Optically and thermally induced molecular switching processes at metal surfaces

Using light to control the switching of functional properties of surface-bound species is an attractive strategy for the development of new technologies with possible applications in molecular electronics and functional surfaces and interfaces. Molecular switches are promising systems for such a route, since they possess the ability to undergo reversible changes between different molecular states and accordingly molecular properties by excitation with light or other external stimuli. In this review, recent experiments on photo- and thermally induced molecular switching processes at noble metal surfaces utilizing two-photon photoemission and surface vibrational spectroscopies are reported. The investigated molecular switches can either undergo a trans-cis isomerization or a ring opening-closure reaction. Two approaches concerning the connection of the switches to the surface are applied: physisorbed switches, i.e. molecules in direct contact with the substrate, and surface-decoupled switches incorporated in self-assembled monolayers. Elementary processes in molecular switches at surfaces, such as excitation mechanisms in photoisomerization and kinetic parameters for thermally driven reactions, which are essential for a microscopic understanding of molecular switching at surfaces, are presented. This in turn is needed for designing an appropriate adsorbate-substrate system with the desired switchable functionality controlled by external stimuli.

The growth and electronic structure of azobenzene-based functional molecules on layered crystals

In situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy is used to study the growth of ultrathin films of azobenzene-based functional molecules (azobenzene, Disperse Orange 3 and a triazatriangulenium platform with an attached functional azo-group) on the layered metal TiTe(2) and on the layered semiconductor HfS(2) at liquid nitrogen temperatures. Effects of intermolecular interactions, of the substrate electronic structure, and of the thermal energy of the sublimated molecules on the growth process and on the adsorbate electronic structure are identified and discussed. A weak adsorbate-substrate interaction is particularly observed for the layered semiconducting substrate, holding the promise of efficient molecular photoswitching.

Isomerization of an azobenzene derivative on a thin insulating layer by inelastically tunneling electrons

Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to investigate isomerization of amino-nitro-azobenzene on a thin NaCl layer on Ag(111) by inelastically tunneling electrons. A reversible isomerization between a planar trans and a three-dimensional cis form with two different thresholds is demonstrated. The isomerization characteristics are rationalized in terms of binding of the multipolar molecule to the ionic layer. This study shows the feasibility of a bistable single molecule switch on an insulator.

An electron induced two-dimensional switch made of azobenzene derivatives anchored in supramolecular assemblies

Supramolecular assemblies of 4-anilino-4'-nitroazobenzene are investigated on the Au(111) surface by low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy with submolecular resolution. Adsorption at 250 K leads to three different structures that are formed via hydrogen bonds: a star structure and two types of line structures: a meandering and a zigzag line. The formation of these supramolecular assemblies is affected by the available space on the fcc domains of the reconstructed Au(111) substrate as well as by the two-dimensional chirality of the molecules on the surface. The star structure is enantiomerically pure, while both types of lines consist of a racemic mixture. Bonding between homochiral pairs differ from the one between heterochiral pairs in the position of the hydrogen bonds. Inside these supramolecular assemblies two configurations of the molecules are identified: An almost straight trans-configuration and a slightly bent cis*-configuration. The trans-configuration largely reflects the structure of this isomer in gas phase, while the cis*-configuration is two-dimensional on the surface in contrast to the three-dimensional gas phase cis-configuration. The reversible trans-cis* isomerization is induced by electron tunneling through the LUMO+1 state of the molecule, which is located at +2.9 V.

Isomerization reactions on single adsorbed molecules

Molecular switches occur throughout nature. In one prominent example, light induces the isomerization of retinal from the compact 11-cis form to the elongated all-trans form, a conversion that triggers the transformation of light into a neural impulse in the eye. Applying these natural principles to synthetic systems offers a promising way to construct smaller and faster nanoelectronic devices. In such systems, electronic switches are essential components for storage and logical operations. The development of molecular switches on the single-molecule level would represent a major step toward incorporating molecules as building units into nanoelectronic circuits. Molecular switches must be both reversible and bistable. To meet these requirements, a molecule must have at least two different thermally stable forms and a way to repeatedly interconvert between those forms based on changes in light, heat, pressure, magnetic or electric fields, pH, mechanical forces, or electric currents. The conversion should be connected to a measurable change in electronic, optical, magnetic, or mechanical properties. Because isomers can differ significantly in physical and chemical properties, isomerization could serve as a molecular switching mechanism. Integration of molecular switches into larger circuits will probably require arranging them on surfaces, which will require a better understanding of isomerization reactions in these environments. In this Account, we describe our scanning tunneling microscopy studies of the isomerization of individual molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces. Investigating chlorobenzene and azobenzene derivatives on the fcc(111) faces of Ag, Cu, and Au, we explored the influence of substituents and the substrate on the excitation mechanism of the isomerization reaction induced by inelastically tunneling electrons. We achieved an irreversible configurational (cis-trans) isomerization of individual 4-dimethyl-amino-azobenzene-4-sulfonic acid molecules on Au(111), a reversible configurational (cis-trans) isomerization of amino-nitro-azobenzene on Au(111), a constitutional (meta-ortho) isomerization of chloronitrobenzene molecules adsorbed on Cu(111) and Au(111), and a constitutional (meta-para) isomerization of dichlorobenzene molecules adsorbed on Cu(111) and Ag(111). These studies demonstrate that we can induce a variety of isomerization reactions by electron excitation on a metal surface. Our model isomerization studies provide a way to manipulate properties of single molecules, changing both their geometric structure and their physicochemical properties. The control of isomerization of single molecules will advance the development of single-molecule electronics and other nanoscale processes.