Negative ion formation in adsorbed molecules: The role of surface states

Efficient photogeneration of nonacene on nanostructured graphene

The on-surface photogeneration of nonacene from α-bisdiketone precursors deposited on nanostructured epitaxial graphene grown on Ru(0001) has been studied by means of low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The presence of an unoccupied surface state, spatially localized in the regions where the precursors are adsorbed, and energetically accessible in the region of the electromagnetic spectrum where n-π* transitions take place, allows for a 100% conversion of the precursors into nonacenes. With the help of state-of-the-art theoretical calculations, we show that such a high yield is due to the effective population of the surface state by the incoming light and the ensuing electron transfer to the unoccupied states of the precursors through an inelastic scattering mechanism. Our findings are the experimental confirmation that surface states can play a prominent role in the surface photochemistry of complex molecular systems, in accordance with early theoretical predictions made on small molecules.

Hybridization of an unoccupied molecular orbital with an image potential state at a lead phthalocyanine/graphite interface

The interaction of a molecular orbital with a surface state is important to understand the spatial distribution of the wave function at the molecule/substrate interface. In this study, we focus on hybridization of an unoccupied state of lead phthalocyanine (PbPc) with the image potential state (IPS) on a graphite surface. The hybridization modifies the energy-momentum dispersions of the IPS on PbPc films as observed by angle-resolved two-photon photoemission. On the PbPc 1 monolayer film, the IPS band forms a band gap and back-folding appears at the first Brillouin zone boundary due to the periodic potential by the adsorbate lattice. The modification of the dispersion is accompanied by the intensity enhancement of the IPS. We attributed the origin of the modified dispersion and intensity enhancement to a hybridization of the IPS with a molecule-derived unoccupied level. From the photon energy-dependent measurement on multilayer films, we have found the diffuse unoccupied molecular level in the vicinity of the IPS. The tail part of the IPS wave function in the substrate is enhanced by the hybridization with the unoccupied state, and thus strengthens the transition from the occupied substrate band to the hybridized IPS.

Understanding Interfacial Electronic Structure and Charge Transfer: An Electrostatic Perspective

The challenge of understanding electronic structure and dynamics at organic semiconductor interfaces arises from the richness and importance of weak interactions in thin films of extended π-conjugated molecules. In this Perspective, I discuss a conceptually simple electrostatic approach toward a molecular-level description of the electronic structure and dynamics at a subset of such interfaces. Self-assembled monolayers of oriented dipolar molecules physisorbed on metal surfaces generate sizable collective electric fields, and electrostatics determines the key factors for energy level alignment and molecular electronic structure. A rigorous quantum mechanical treatment of such interfaces supports this conclusion and sheds light on the subtle interplay of the different interfacial interactions. The electrostatic model of the interface has the potential to offer also insights into the role of strong collective electric fields on interfacial charge-transfer dynamics.

UV photo-dissociation and photodesorption of N2O on Ag(111)

Nanosecond laser induced photoreactions of N2O adsorbed on Ag(111) have been studied by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and mass-selected, angle-dependent time-of-flight (MS-TOF) measurements of neutral desorbing particles. N2O molecules in the first monolayer are thermally inert but photo-dissociate into N2 + O, or photodesorb molecularly or dissociatively, at photon energies above 3.5 eV. We have found that TOF spectra of photodesorbed N2 as well as of N2O measured at hν = 4.7 eV consist of two velocity components. The desorption flux of the fastest component of N2O peaks ∼ 25° off the surface normal, whereas the others are directed in the surface normal. Origins and photo-excitation as well as photodesorption mechanisms of the N2O and N2 signals are discussed.

Surface-reconstruction-switched adsorbate photofragmentation dynamics

Energy-resolved angular distributions of neutral fragments ejected during photoinduced electron transfer reaction of CH3Br on GaAs(100) exhibit three distinct methyl-radical ejection channels. These undergo marked changes when the termination is switched from the Ga-rich c(8 x 2) to the As-rich c(2 x 8). Our observations are consistent with a strong adsorption-site dependence of the dynamics.