Properties of large organic molecules on metal surfaces

The adsorption of large organic molecules on surfaces has recently been the subject of intensive investigation, both because of the molecules’ intrinsic physical and chemical properties, and for prospective applications in the emerging field of nanotechnology. Certain complex molecules are considered good candidates as basic building blocks for molecular electronics and nanomechanical devices. In general, molecular ordering on a surface is controlled by a delicate balance between intermolecular forces and molecule–substrate interactions. Under certain conditions, these interactions can be controlled to some extent, and sometimes even tuned by the appropriate choice of substrate material and symmetry. Several studies have indicated that, upon molecular adsorption, surfaces do not always behave as static templates, but may rearrange dramatically to accommodate different molecular species. In this context, it has been demonstrated that the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) is a very powerful tool for exploring the atomic-scale realm of surfaces, and for investigating adsorbate–surface interactions. By means of high-resolution, fast-scanning STM unprecedented new insight was recently achieved into a number of fundamental processes related to the interaction of largish molecules with surfaces such as molecular diffusion, bonding of adsorbates on surfaces, and molecular self-assembly. In addition to the normal imaging mode, the STM tip can also be employed to manipulate single atoms and molecules in a bottom–up fashion, collectively or one at a time. In this way, molecule-induced surface restructuring processes can be revealed directly and nanostructures can be engineered with atomic precision to study surface quantum phenomena of fundamental interest. Here we will present a short review of some recent results, several of which were obtained by our group, in which several features of the complex interaction between large organic molecules and metal surfaces were revealed. The focus is on experiments performed using STM and other complementary surface-sensitive techniques.     

Coexistence of one- and two-dimensional supramolecular assemblies of terephthalic acid on Pd(111) due to self-limiting deprotonation

The adsorption of terephthalic acid [C(6)H(4)(COOH)(2), TPA] on a Pd(111) surface has been investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy under ultrahigh vacuum conditions at room temperature. We find the coexistence of one- (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) molecular ordering. Our analysis indicates that the 1D phase consists of intact TPA chains stabilized by a dimerization of the self-complementary carboxyl groups, whereas in the 2D phase, consisting of deprotonated entities, the molecules form lateral ionic hydrogen bonds. The supramolecular growth dynamics and the resulting structures are explained by a self-limiting deprotonation process mediated by the catalytic activity of the Pd surface. Our models for the molecular ordering are supported by molecular mechanics calculations and a simulation of high resolution STM images.     

Self-aligned Submonolayer Cobalt Silicide Formation Studied by Variable Temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy in UHV System

Epitaxial growth of defect free metal silicides with high thermal stability is important to ultra large scale integration devices (ULSI)^[1]. Cobalt silicide has been used as an interconnect in CMOS devices due to its low resistivity and good thermal stability^[2] and excellent lattice match between cobalt silicide and silicon^[3,4]. In the present work, we have investigated epitaxial growth of ultra-thin cobalt layer (ca. 10 Å) by electron beam evaporation of cobalt on Si(111) (7×7) surface followed by thermal annealing up to 700℃ in UHV system. The morphologies and the surface structures of epitaxial silicide formation were investigated by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Adlayer structures of Co silicide after annealing were observed to coexist as the closely and loosely packed clusters at 230℃ separated by a boundary. A new structure with ring-like clusters has (l×l) configuration with 3.5 A spacing between hollows of vicinal clusters at 400℃. Si-rich CoSi₂ surfaces terminated by Si bilayers showed (2×2) structures after annealing at 480℃, in which Si-rich CoSi₂ clusters were observed to be very mobile at room temperature. As the surface was annealed to above 500℃, The domain island became regular triangles, where atomic resolution of the l×l surface of CoSi₂(111) were readily discernable. CoSi₂(111) surface is suggested to be terminated by a Si-bilayer.     

Regulating the Interactions of Adsorbates on Surfaces by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Manipulation

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) manipulation has received wide attention in the surface science community since the pioneering work of Eigler to construct surface nanostructures in an atom by atom fashion. Lots of scientists have been inspired and devoted to study the surface issues with the help of STM manipulations and great achievements have been obtained. In this Minireview, we mainly describe the recent progress in applying STM manipulations to regulate the inter‐adsorbate and adsorbate–substrate interactions on solid surfaces. It was shown that this technique could not only differentiate intermolecular interactions but also construct molecular nanostructures by regulating different kinds of inter‐adsorbate interactions or adsorbate–substrate interactions.     

Self-assembled nanostructures of oligopyridine molecules

The high potential of self-assembly processes of molecular building blocks is reflected in the vast variety of different functional nanostructures reported in the literature. The constituting units must fulfill several requirements like synthetic accessibility, presence of functional groups for appropriate intermolecular interactions and depending on the type of self-assembly processsignificant chemical and thermal stability. It is shown that oligopyridines are versatile building blocks for two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) self-assembly. They can be employed for building up different architectures like gridlike metal complexes in solution. By the appropriate tailoring of the heterocycles, further metal coordinating and/or hydrogen bonding capabilities to the heteroaromatic molecules can be added. Thus, the above-mentioned architectures can be extended in one-step processes to larger entities, or in a hierarchical fashion to infinite assemblies in the solid state, respectively. Besides the organizational properties of small molecules in solution, 2D assemblies on surfaces offer certain advantages over 3D arrays. By precise tailoring of the molecular structures, the intermolecular interactions can be fine-tuned expressed by a large variety of resulting 2D patterns. Oligopyridines prove to be ideal candidates for 2D assemblies on graphite and metal sufaces, respectively, expressing highly ordered structures. A slight structural variation in the periphery of the molecules leads to strongly changed 2D packing motifs based on weak hydrogen bonding interactions. Such 2D assemblies can be exploited for building up host-guest networks which are attractive candidates for manipulation experiments on the single-molecule level. Thus, "erasing" and "writing" processes by the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) tip at the liquid/solid interface are shown. The 2D networks are also employed for performing coordination chemistry experiments at surfaces.     

Host-guest supramolecular chemistry at solid-liquid interface: An important strategy for preparing two-dimensional functional nanostructures

Supramolecular self-assembly,an important strategy in nanotechnology,has been widely studied in the past two decades.In this review,we have introduced the recent progress on construction of two-dimensional(2D)nanostructures by host-guest supramolecular chemistry at solid-liquid interface,and the interactions between the host assembly and the guest molecules are the major concerns.At first,the hydrogen bonds connected hybrid structures are discussed.And then we have paid a close attention on the surface-confined condensation reactions that has flourished recently in direct preparing novel nanostructures with increasing structural complexity.In the end,the cavity confinement of the 2D supramolecular host-guest architectures has been studied.On the basis of the above-mentioned interactions,a group of functional hybrid structures have been prepared.Notably,scanning tunneling microscopy(STM),a unique technique to probe the surface morphology and information at the single molecule level,has been used to probe the formed structures on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite(HOPG)surface.     

Ag(111)表面Ag配位结构的分等级组装

表面辅助的金属有机纳米结构因其结构稳定性和潜在应用受到广泛关注。在金属有机纳米结构中,金属原子来源于外部沉积的金属或金属表面原子。外部沉积的金属原子种类多样,取决于目标纳米结构。然而,金属表面原子受限于表面科学常用的金、银和铜单晶金属表面。金属有机纳米结构大多包括Au配位或是Cu配位结构,而只有少量的用表面Ag原子构成。分子金属相互作用的进一步研究有助于预期纳米结构的精确控制形成。至于构建基元,有机分子通过M―C、M―N和M―O键与表面金属原子配位。末端炔反应或者乌尔曼耦合能够实现C―M―C节点的形成。Cu和Au原子能够与含有末端氰基或吡啶基官能团的分子配位形成N―M―N键。另外,表面Ag增原子能够通过Ag―N配位键与酞菁分子配位。然而,M―O配位键的相关研究较少。因此,我们计划使用末端羟基分子与Ag增原子配位形成金属有机配位纳米结构去研究O―Ag节点。我们通过扫描隧道显微镜利用4, 4’-二羟基-1, 1’: 3’, 1’’-三联苯分子(4, 4’-dihydroxy-1, 1’: 3’, 1’’-terphenyl,H3PH)和Ag增原子成功构筑了一系列二维有序纳米结构。在室温下,蒸镀的H3PH分子自组装形成由环氢键连接的密堆积结构。当退火温度提升到330 K,一种新的纳米结构出现了,该结构由O―Ag配位键和氢键共同作用形成。进一步地提升退火温度至420 K,蜂巢结构和共存的二重配位链出现,这两种结构中仅由O―Ag―O键构成。为分析金属分子反应路径和O―Ag―O键的能量势垒,我们对该体系进行密度泛函理论计算。计算结果显示,O―Ag键形成的能量势垒是1.41 eV,小于O―Ag―O节点1.85 eV的能量势垒。这也解释了分等级金属-有机纳米结构形成的原因。我们的实验结果提供了一种利用有机小分子和金属增原子来设计和构筑分等级二维纳米结构的有效方法。     

STM studies of photochemistry and plasmon chemistry on metal surfaces

We review our recent studies of photochemistry and plasmon chemistry of dimethyl disulfide, (CH₃S)₂, molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The STM has been used not only for the observation of surface structures at atomic spatial resolution but also for local spectroscopies. The STM combined with optical excitation by light can be employed to investigate chemical reactions of single molecules induced by photons and localized surface plasmons. This technique allows us to gain insights into reaction mechanisms at a single molecule level. The experimental procedures to examine the chemical reactions using the STM are briefly described. The mechanism for the photodissociation reaction of (CH₃S)₂ molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces is discussed based on both the experimental results obtained with the STM and the electronic structures calculated by density functional theory. The dissociation reaction of the (CH₃S)₂ molecule induced by the optically excited plasmon in the STM junction between a Ag tip and metal substrate is also described. The reaction mechanism and pathway of this plasmon-induced chemical reaction are discussed by comparison with those proposed in plasmon chemistry.     

Controllable Scission and Seamless Stitching of Metal–Organic Clusters by STM Manipulation

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) manipulation techniques have proven to be a powerful method for advanced nanofabrication of artificial molecular architectures on surfaces. With increasing complexity of the studied systems, STM manipulations are then extended to more complicated structural motifs. Previously, the dissociation and construction of various motifs have been achieved, but only in a single direction. In this report, the controllable scission and seamless stitching of metal–organic clusters have been successfully achieved through STM manipulations. The system presented here includes two sorts of hierarchical interactions where coordination bonds hold the metal–organic elementary motifs while hydrogen bonds among elementary motifs are directly involved in bond breakage and re‐formation. The key to making this reversible switching successful is the hydrogen bonding, which is comparatively facile to be broken for controllable scission, and, on the other hand, the directional characteristic of hydrogen bonding makes precise stitching feasible.     

超高真空条件下碱基与金属在Au(111)表面的相互作用

碱基是生命体中核酸的重要组成部分,用以携带遗传信息。碱基之间的互补配对行为在DNA和RNA的高保真复制过程中起到重要作用。除了碱基间的特异性识别,碱基分子与金属,盐类和一些小分子也可发生相互作用,特别是与某些金属原子或离子的相互作用会造成核酸的损伤,并可能进一步导致基因突变甚至诱发细胞的癌变。同时,基于DNA金属化形成的纳米器件逐渐成为纳米科技领域的研究热点。因此研究碱基与金属作用的现象和机制对于生物化学和纳米科学都十分重要。扫描隧道显微镜可以在实空间原子尺度下揭示纳米结构,密度泛函理论计算可以帮助确定反应机理。本文对近年来报道的利用以上两种方法在超高真空环境下碱基及其衍生物与碱金属、碱土金属和过渡金属的相互作用进行了介绍,总结了碱基与金属的作用位点及反应发生的机理,并进一步提出单原子尺度下的结构模型、可能的反应路径,进而揭示相互作用的本质。     

枝状分子表面组装结构的形成与结构转变

本文是对近期有关枝状分子在石墨表面吸附组装研究的综述.利用扫描隧道显微技术,系统研究了5-甲氧基间苯二酸类枝状分子在石墨表面组装结构的形成及结构转变,发现虽然该类枝状分子大都可以在石墨表面自发有序组装,但是最终形成的组装结构不仅与分子本身结构例如烷基链的数目有关,与分子浓度有关,还与所用溶剂有关.分子浓度和溶剂的变化,影响组装体系内的相互作用力如分子与基底间的作用力、分子间氢键的作用力等,影响分子迁移和结构转变的动力学过程,从而影响枝状分子组装的最终结构.研究揭示了特定体系中枝状分子组装结构与分子浓度、所用溶剂的定量和定性关系.研究结果有助于认识和掌握枝状分子组装规律,进而可以通过改变相关技术参数,调控得到不同的枝状分子表面组装体,为实现可控构筑分子表面组装结构提供了新的思路.     

Charge transfer and formation of reduced Ce3+ upon adsorption of metal atoms at the ceria (110) surface

The modification of cerium dioxide with nanoscale metal clusters is intensely researched for catalysis applications, with gold, silver, and copper having been particularly well studied. The interaction of the metal cluster with ceria is driven principally by a localised interaction between a small number of metal atoms (as small as one) and the surface and understanding the fundamentals of the interaction of metal atoms with ceria surfaces is therefore of great interest. Much attention has been focused on the interaction of metals with the (111) surface of ceria, since this is the most stable surface and can be grown as films, which are probed experimentally. However, nanostructures exposing other surfaces such as (110) show high activity for reactions including CO oxidation and require further study; these nanostructures could be modified by deposition of metal atoms or small clusters, but there is no information to date on the atomic level details of metal-ceria interactions involving the (110) surface. This paper presents the results of density functional theory (DFT) corrected for on-site Coulomb interactions (DFT+U) calculations of the adsorption of a number of different metal atoms at an extended ceria (110) surface; the metals are Au, Ag, Cu, Al, Ga, In, La, Ce, V, Cr, and Fe. Upon adsorption all metals are oxidised, transferring electron(s) to the surface, resulting in localised surface distortions. The precise details depend on the identity of the metal atom. Au, Ag, Cu each transfer one electron to the surface, reducing one Ce ion to Ce(3+), while of the trivalent metals, Al and La are fully oxidised, but Ga and In are only partially oxidised. Ce and the transition metals are also partially oxidised, with the number of reduced Ce ions possible in this surface no more than three per adsorbed metal atom. The predicted oxidation states of the adsorbed metal atoms should be testable in experiments on ceria nanostructures modified with metal atoms.     

Supramolecular Cl⋅⋅⋅H and O⋅⋅⋅H Interactions in Self‐Assembled 1,5‐Dichloroanthraquinone Layers on Au(111)

The role of halogen bonds in self‐assembled networks for systems with Br and I ligands has recently been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), which provides physical insight at the atomic scale. Here, we study the supramolecular interactions of 1,5‐dichloroanthraquinone molecules on Au(111), including Cl ligands, by using STM. Two different molecular structures of chevron and square networks are observed, and their molecular models are proposed. Both molecular structures are stabilized by intermolecular Cl???H and O???H hydrogen bonds with marginal contributions from Cl‐related halogen bonds, as revealed by density functional theory calculations. Our study shows that, in contrast to Br‐ and I‐related halogen bonds, Cl‐related halogen bonds weakly contribute to the molecular structure due to a modest positive potential (σ hole) of the Cl ligands.     

芳香化合物STM研究的进展

本文系统介绍了用STM技术研究苯、萘和蒽等芳香化合物的诸多成果，表明分子间相互作用、分子与基底间相互作用等对该类化合物吸附结构的影响，以及溶液中分子的结构、结构转化及表面反应与电极电位的关系，阐明了在原子分子惊讶上研究芳香化合物的重要性及发展趋势。     

Hydrogen bond partner reorganization in the coadsorption of a monodendron and pyridylethynyl derivatives

Hydrogen bonds with high selectivity and directionality are significant in harnessing molecules to form 2D supramolecular nanostructures. The competition and reorganization of hydrogen bond partners determine the ultimate molecular assembly and pattern in a 2D supramolecular system. In this study, multicomponent assemblies of a monodendron (5-benzyloxy-isophthalic acid derivative, BIC) and pyridylethynyl derivatives [1,4-bis(4-pyridylethynyl)-2,3-bis-dodecyloxy-benzene (PBPC12) and 1,4-bis(4-pyridylethynyl)-2,3-bis-octadecyloxy-benzene (PBPC18)] have been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) on a graphite surface. BIC molecules are able to associate with PBPC12 and PBPC18 molecules to induce the rearrangement of hydrogen bond partners and form coassembly structures. Interestingly, BIC acts as a template molecule in the coassembly process, and these multicomponent structures exhibit similar structural features to the assembly structures of BIC itself. The structural details of the coassembled structures are revealed by high-resolution STM images, and their relationship with the original BIC assemblies is discussed. These results provide important insights into the design and fabrication of hydrogen-bond-directed multicomponent molecular nanostructures on solid surfaces.     

Microfaceting explains complicated structures on rutile TiO2 surfaces

Surface structures on rutile TiO2 (001) have been studied by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional calculations. Prior investigations have observed many kinds of complicated surface structures; however, detailed atomic structures and the mechanism of the reconstructions are still unknown. We evaluate the energetical stability of the surface structures. The calculational results suggest that a [111] microfaceting model is energetically stable compared with the unreconstructed (1 x 1) model. We propose microfaceting structural models that are in good agreement with atomically resolved STM images. This structural concept can be extended to other rutile TiO2 surfaces in general.     

Dimer pinning and the assignment of semiconductor-adsorbate surface structures

It has been observed in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) that the adsorption of molecules on the (001) surface of a Group IV semiconductor can lead to an asymmetric ordering of the dimers immediately adjacent to the adsorbate. This so-called pinning may occur along the dimer row on only one, or both sides of the adsorbate. Here we present a straightforward methodology for predicting such pinning and illustrate this approach for several different adsorbate structures on the Si(001) surface. This approach extends earlier work by including the effects of coupling across the adsorbate as well as the nearest-neighbor interactions between the chemisorbed dimer and its adjacent dimers. The results are shown to be in excellent agreement with the room temperature experimental STM data. The examples also show how this approach can serve as a powerful tool for discriminating between alternative possible adsorbate structures on a dimerized semiconductor (001) surface, especially in cases of molecular adsorption where the STM measurements provide insufficient details of the underlying atomic structure.     

Investigation of the Effect of Thermal Annealing on Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) Nanofibers by Scanning Probe Microscopy: From Single‐Chain Conformation and Assembly Behavior to the Interfacial Interactions with Graphene Oxide

Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) has been widely used in devices owing to its excellent properties and structural features. However, devices based on pure P3HT have not exhibited high performance. Strategies, such as thermal annealing and surface doping, have been used to improve the electrical properties of P3HT. In this work, different from previous studies, the effect of thermal annealing on P3HT nanofibers are examined, ranging from the single polymer chain conformation to chain packing, and the interfacial interactions with graphene oxide (GO) at nanoscale dimensions, by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). High‐resolution STM images directly show the conformational changes of single polymer chains after thermal annealing. The morphology of P3HT nanofibers and the surface potential changes of the P3HT nanofibers and GO is further investigated by AFM and KPFM at the nanoscale, which demonstrate that the surface potentials of P3HT decrease, whereas that of GO increases after thermal annealing. All of the results demonstrate the stronger interfacial interactions between P3HT and GO occur after thermal treatments due to the changes in P3HT chain conformation and packing order.     

CO adsorption on a Pt(111) surface partially covered with FeO_x nanostructures

The adsorption of CO on Pt group metals, as a most fundamental elementary reaction step, has been widely studied in catalysis and electrocatalysis. Particularly, the structures of CO on Pt(111) have been extensively investigated, owing to its importance to both fundamental and applied catalysis. Yet, much less is known regarding CO adsorption on a Pt(111) surface modulated by supported oxide nanostructures,which is of more relevance to technical catalysis. We thus investigated the coverage-dependent adsorption of CO on a Pt(111) surface partially covered by Fe Oxnanostructures, which has been demonstrated as a remarkable catalyst for low-temperature CO oxidation. We found that, due to its strong chemisorption, the coverage-dependent structure of CO on bare Pt is not influenced by the presence of Fe Ox. But,oxygen-terminated Fe Oxnanostructures could modulate the diffusivity of CO at their vicinity, and thus affect the formation of ordered CO superstructures at low temperatures. Using scanning tunneling microscopy(STM), we inspected the diffusivity of CO, followed the phase transitions of CO domains, and resolved the molecular details of the coverage-dependent CO structures. Our results provide a full picture for CO adsorption on a Pt(111) surface modulated by oxide nanostructures and shed lights on the inter-adsorbate interaction on metal surfaces.     

CO与蜜勒胺自组装膜协同作用制备Au单原子及多原子物种

金属单原子物种的可控制备对于包括多相催化在内的各种表面化学过程非常重要。在本工作中,我们在Au(111)表面制备了由蜜勒胺分子形成的具有周期性孔道结构的自组装薄膜。这种有机分子薄膜所携载的官能团能与金属原子进行有效作用。通过在室温下暴露CO气体,在表面上成功制备出Au单原子。由于蜜勒胺分子中的杂环氮原子与Au原子作用较强,因此所形成的Au原子具有突出的稳定性,并且具有多种形式的空间分布构型,有望为一些结构敏感性的表面反应提供合适的催化位点。