On-Surface Self-Assembled Structural Transformation Induced by Schiff Base Reaction and Hydrogen bonds

Abstract

By utilizing scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), the self-assembled nanostructures of three characteristic aldehydes have been examined at the solution–solid interface. By introducing the active reactant 5-aminoisophthalic acid (5-AIPA), we succeeded in changing the self-assembled molecular structures through the condensation reaction and obtained the information on structural transformation in real time. The corresponding carboxyl conjugated derivatives were formed in situ and developed into the closely packed and ordered molecular architectures via hydrogen bonds at the solution–solid surface. The relevant simulations have been utilized to interpret the mechanisms of forming the nanostructures. The corresponding theoretical calculation is used to explain the reaction mechanism. Compared with the traditional ways, the on-surface condensation reaction in situ could not only provide a more convenient method for regulating the self-assembled architectures but also offer a promising strategy for building functional nanostructures and devices.

The self-assembly and pyridine regulation of a hydrogen-bonded dimeric building block formed by a low-symmetric aromatic carboxylic acid

“…After several rounds of construction and optimization of the molecular models of the two co-assembled structures, we found that the heptanoic acid solvent molecules should be included in the DFT models due to the existence of redundant hydrogen bond binding sites and spatial matching. 36,37 The unit cell parameters of the DFT models containing heptanoic acid were in good agreement with those measured in the STM images, indicating that the models are reasonable. Fig.…”

Coronene guest molecule selectivity in host templates formed by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces at liquid/solid interfaces

“…23 At present, there have been many studies on the adsorption kinetics of guest molecules, 24,25 the design of organic nanopore templates, 26,27 and host-guest reactions. [28][29][30] However, studies on the selective adsorption of guest molecules in different host templates are not common. Shi Y et al reported that a cationic molecular cage formed by tetraphenylporphyrins had a much stronger binding for larger C 70 molecules than for C 60 guest molecules.…”

Analysis of Guest Adsorption on Crystal Surfaces Based on the Fragment Molecular Orbital Method

“…For example, when comparing adsorption of various guest molecules, it is of interest to understand how much the dispersion, polarization, and other physical types of interactions contribute to the binding. Although there are experimental techniques such as scanning tunneling microscopy for obtaining the atomistic structure of adsorption, the details of the arrangement of guest molecules on a surface may not be available from experiment, but theoretical simulations can provide this information.…”