Molecular LEGO: surface ligand effect for on-surface 3D self-assembly
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We provide evidence for the room temperature construction of an unprecedented out-of-plane self-assembled heterostructure guided by in-vacuum coordination chemistry. The whole structure, albeit ordered and commensurate, is settled on a pure “physical contact interface” ever realized between a molecule and a metallic surface which represents a new concept in the field of interface design and engineering. A. Orbelli Biroli et al. DOI:10.1002/adfm.202011008 |
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Our approach demonstrates a strategy for the assembly of single molecule/electrode interface and the exploitation in true bottom-up device engineering of molecular 3D coherent growth by vapour phase deposition through coordination chemistry. Thanks to the specific and complementary expertise of the collaborating team of chemists and physicists, we demonstrated a chemical route to the in-vacuum stacking of chemically pure and spatially coherent alternating molecular layers, as driven by intermolecular metal coordination. In-vacuum deposition is exploited as the way to integrate a number of ingredients: (i) the chemical decoupling of the contact organic layer from the metal electrode, (ii) the lateral (2D) ordering of the molecules, (iii) the rigid molecule- to-molecule coupling along the normal to the surface, (iv) the sharp (chemical) termination of the layered film and the readily available and exploitable building blocks. |
As a result of our LEGO construction, the topmost molecule is directly coupled to the substrate. Retrieve article Out-Of-Plane Metal Coordination for a True Solvent-Free Building with Molecular Bricks: Dodging the Surface Ligand Effect for On-Surface Vacuum Self-Assembly, A. Orbelli Biroli, A. Calloni, A. Bossi, M.S. Jagadeesh, G. Albani, L. Duò, F. Ciccacci, A. Goldoni, A. Verdini, L. Schio, L. Floreano, and G. Bussetti Adv. Funct. Mater. 31, 2011008 (2021) DOI:10.1002/adfm.202011008 |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 October 2022 18:03
