Although methods for a periodic perforation and heteroatom doping of graphene sheets have been developed, patterning closely spaced holes on the nanoscale in graphene nanoribbons is still a challenging task. In this work, nitrogen-doped porous graphene nanoribbons (N-GNRs) were synthesized on Ag(111) using a silver-assisted Ullmann polymerization of brominated tetrabenzophenazine. Insights into the hierarchical reaction pathways from single molecules toward the formation of one-dimensional organometallic complexes and N-GNRs are gained by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) with CO-tip, scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS), and density functional theory (DFT).

We have studied thin films of Fe(II) spin crossover complexes deposited on differently poled ferroelectric PMN-PT [Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 ] 1-x [PbTiO 3 ] x , x = 0.32) substrates by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The X-ray spectra reveal complete temperature driven conversion between high-spin and low-spin states without any observable effect of the ferroelectric polarization on the spin state of the molecules down to 100 K. In the soft X-ray induced excited spin-state trapping (SOXIESST) regime at 3 K large differences occur between the two ferroelectric polarizations. The efficiency of the X-rays in promoting the molecules to the high-spin state is more than an order of magnitude larger when the ferroelectric dipoles of the substrate are pointing towards the surface as compared to the opposite polarization. We explain our findings by a modulation of the polarization-dependent efficiency of the scattering of X-ray generated secondary electrons at the molecules. Our results provide deep insight into the SOXIESST mechanism and they suggest that such molecules could be used as detectors for electrons traveling in the substrate at energies lower than the substrate electron affinity.

The coordination chemistry of tartronic acid, , with copper(ii) has been investigated. Structures of two complexes are reported containing respectively the complex [Cu(-2H)2Cl](3-) where acts as a bidentate ligand through carboxylates, and [Cu3(-3H)3](3-) where the alcohol function is deprotonated to bridge two coppers in a triangular trinuclear complex. The latter species undergoes facile oxidation leading to carbon-carbon bond formation. The magnetic and EPR properties of the trinuclear complex have been studied in detail.

Rigid electron donor-acceptor conjugates (1-3) that combine π-extended benzodifurans as electron donors and C60 molecules as electron acceptors with different linkers have been synthesized and investigated with respect to intramolecular charge-transfer events. Electrochemistry, fluorescence, and transient absorption measurements revealed tunable and structure-dependent charge-transfer processes in the ground and excited states. Our experimental findings are underpinned by density-functional theory calculations.

A molecular donor-acceptor dyad comprising a hexarhenium cluster core, [Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)](2+), and a fullerene moiety which are covalently linked through a pyridine ligand was synthesized and fully characterized. The electrochemical and photophysical properties are reported. The detailed study includes cyclic voltammetry, steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, radiation chemistry and transient absorption spectroscopy. A light-induced electron transfer between the inorganic cluster moiety and the fullerene can be excluded. However, a light-induced energy transfer from the rhenium cluster to the fullerene is proposed.