We analyzed the structures formed by 3,3’,5,5’-tetrabromobiphenyl (TBBP) on the Au(111) surface under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions using scanning tunneling microscopy. TBBP, which contains two ...phenyls, is expected to form the same structure after combining with other molecules with different orientations. Islands composed of three types of dimers were obtained at room temperature. Annealing of the dimers at temperatures above 423 K formed a porous nanostructure with neighboring nanohole distances of 0.7 nm, consistent with our expectations. The porous nanostructure was composed of combinations of dimers with various orientations, indicating the flexibility of the precursor molecule in forming the obtained structure.
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•Tetrabromobiphenyl molecules formed a porous nanostructure by orientation adaptation.•The molecules on Au(111) surface formed islands composed of three types of dimers without additional annealing.•The annealing time influenced the formation of oligomers.•Annealing at 423 K can balance the on-surface reaction and conformational changes.
STM studies on porphyrins Otsuki, Joe
Coordination chemistry reviews,
10/2010, Letnik:
254, Številka:
19
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Porphyrins are promising components to be used in molecular electronics due to their rich electronic/photonic properties. Preparation of supramolecular architectures of porphyrins on solid surfaces ...would constitute a basis for further development toward molecular circuitry or other constructs for molecular electronics applications. Assemblies on surfaces can be probed with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at submolecular resolutions to reveal the arrangements and conformations of molecules on an individual molecule basis. The electronic characteristics within a single porphyrin molecule can also be probed by means of the same technique. This review summarizes the status quo of STM studies on porphyrins on surfaces with regard to their assemblies, structures, and electronic properties at the single molecule level.
Recently, several research groups have reported the growth of germanene, a new member of the graphene family. Germanene is in many aspects very similar to graphene, but in contrast to the planar ...graphene lattice, the germanene honeycomb lattice is buckled and composed of two vertically displaced sub-lattices. Density functional theory calculations have revealed that free-standing germanene is a 2D Dirac fermion system, i.e. the electrons behave as massless relativistic particles that are described by the Dirac equation, which is the relativistic variant of the Schrödinger equation. Germanene is a very appealing 2D material. The spin-orbit gap in germanene (~24 meV) is much larger than in graphene (<0.05 meV), which makes germanene the ideal candidate to exhibit the quantum spin Hall effect at experimentally accessible temperatures. Additionally, the germanene lattice offers the possibility to open a band gap via for instance an externally applied electrical field, adsorption of foreign atoms or coupling with a substrate. This opening of the band gap paves the way to the realization of germanene based field-effect devices. In this topical review we will (1) address the various methods to synthesize germanene (2) provide a brief overview of the key results that have been obtained by density functional theory calculations and (3) discuss the potential of germanene for future applications as well for fundamentally oriented studies.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy/Spectroscopy
In article number 2300413, Shern‐Long Lee and co‐workers summarize recent scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) studies of 3D ...nanoarchitectures based on the supramolecular assembly of functionalized molecules at the liquid‐solid interface. The authors highlight several molecular systems with an emphasis on unique characteristics and electronic properties, providing insights into the designs of supramolecular architectures with increasing complexity and desired functionality.
We report a molecular investigation of a cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc)‐catalyzed CO2 reduction reaction by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM). An ordered adlayer of CoPc was ...prepared on Au(111). Approximately 14 % of the adsorbed species appeared with high contrast in a CO2‐purged electrolyte environment. The ECSTM experiments indicate the proportion of high‐contrast species correlated with the reduction of CoIIPc (−0.2 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE)). The high‐contrast species is ascribed to the CoPc‐CO2 complex, which is further confirmed by theoretical simulation. The sharp contrast change from CoPc‐CO2 to CoPc is revealed by in situ ECSTM characterization of the reaction. Potential step experiments provide dynamic information for the initial stage of the reaction, which include the reduction of CoPc and the binding of CO2, and the latter is the rate‐limiting step. The rate constant of the formation and dissociation of CoPc‐CO2 is estimated on the basis of the in situ ECSTM experiment.
Imaging the electrocatalytic process: The cobalt‐phthalocyanine‐catalyzed CO2 reduction reaction is investigated by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy at the molecular scale. The molecular processes of the reaction, including the reduction of CoII, the binding of CO2, and the subsequent process, are revealed.
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•STM lithography with silicon layers removal is realized on Si(1 0 0)-2×-Cl.•Voltage pulse leads to the formation of pits by removing one or two silicon layers.•The typical etched pit ...has a lateral size of 1–2 nm and a depth of 1–5 Å.•Pits can contain chlorine vacancies.
We report the realization of STM-based lithography with silicon layers removal on the chlorinated Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 surface at 77 K. In contrast to other STM lithography studies, we were able to remove locally both chlorine and silicon atoms. Most of the etched pits have a lateral size of 10–20 Å and a depth of 1–5 Å. In the pits in which the STM image with atomic resolution is obtained, the bottom is mainly covered with chlorine. Some pits contain chlorine vacancies. Mechanisms of STM-induced removal of silicon and chlorine atoms on Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1-Cl are discussed and compared with the well-studied case of STM-induced hydrogen desorption on Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1-H. The results open up new possibilities of the three-dimensional local etching with STM lithography.
The dynamic restructuring of Cu surfaces in electroreduction conditions is of fundamental interest in electrocatalysis. We decode the structural dynamics of a Cu(111) electrode under reduction ...conditions by joint first‐principles calculations and operando electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM) experiments. Combining global optimization and grand canonical density functional theory, we unravel the potential‐ and pH‐dependent restructuring of Cu(111) in acidic electrolyte. At reductive potential, Cu(111) is covered by a high density of H atoms and, below a threshold potential, Cu adatoms are formed on the surface in a (4×4) superstructure, a restructuring unfavorable in vacuum. The strong H adsorption is the driving force for the restructuring, itself induced by the electrode potential. On the restructured surface, barriers for hydrogen evolution reaction steps are low. Restructuring in electroreduction conditions creates highly active Cu adatom sites not present on Cu(111).
Potential‐ and pH‐ dependent restructuring of the Cu(111) surface induced by H adsorption under electrochemical reduction in acidic conditions is decoded by a combination of a grand canonical ensemble representation of surface states and operando electrochemical STM experiments.