Open AccessRole of Lateral Alkyl Chains in Modulation of Molecular Structures on Metal Surfaces
Author(s) -
Dayong Shi,
Wei Ji,
Xiao Lin,
Weidong He,
Jiaoyuan Lian,
Gao Li,
Jinming Cai,
Haiping Lin,
Shixuan Du,
Fei Lin,
Christian Seidel,
L. F.,
Werner A. Hofer,
Harald Fuchs,
Hongjun Gao
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
physical review letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.688
H-Index - 673
eISSN - 1079-7114
pISSN - 0031-9007
DOI - 10.1103/physrevlett.96.226101
Subject(s) - alkyl , scanning tunneling microscope , materials science , substrate (aquarium) , density functional theory , adsorption , intermolecular force , chemical physics , crystallography , low energy electron diffraction , molecule , electron diffraction , diffraction , nanotechnology , computational chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , optics , physics , geology , oceanography
We use low energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, first-principles density- functional theory, and molecular mechanics calculations to analyze the adsorption and growth of quinacridone derivatives (QA) with alkyl chains of 4 and 16 carbon atoms on a Ag(110) substrate. Surprisingly, we find that the alkyl chains determine the orientation of the molecular overlayers. While the interaction of QA and the Ag substrate is primarily due to chemical bonding of oxygen to the silver substrate, determining the molecular orientation and preferred adsorption site, the intermolecular arrange- ment can be adjusted via the length of alkyl chains. We are thus able to fabricate uniform QA films with very well controlled physical properties.
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