Supramolecular Patterns Controlled by Electron Interference and Direct Intermolecular Interactions

Two-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic van der Waals Hybrids

Two-dimensional organic-inorganic (2DOI) van der Waals hybrids (vdWhs) have emerged as a groundbreaking subclass of layer-stacked (opto-)electronic materials. The development of 2DOI-vdWhs via systematically integrating inorganic 2D layers with organic 2D crystals at the molecular/atomic scale extends the capabilities of traditional 2D inorganic vdWhs, thanks to their high synthetic flexibility and structural tunability. Constructing an organic-inorganic hybrid interface with atomic precision will unlock new opportunities for generating unique interfacial (opto-)electronic transport properties by combining the strengths of organic and inorganic layers, thus allowing us to satisfy the growing demand for multifunctional applications. Here, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the chemical synthesis, structural characterization, and numerous applications of 2DOI-vdWhs. Firstly, we introduce the chemistry and the physical properties of the recently rising organic 2D crystals (O2DCs), which feature crystalline 2D nanostructures comprising carbon-rich repeated units linked by covalent/noncovalent bonds and exhibit strong in-plane extended π-conjugation and weak interlayer vdWs interaction. Simultaneously, representative inorganic 2D crystals (I2DCs) are briefly summarized. After that, the synthetic strategies will be systematically summarized, including synthesizing single-component O2DCs with dimensional control and their vdWhs with I2DCs. With these synthetic approaches, the control in the dimension, the stacking modes, and the composition of the 2DOI-vdWhs will be highlighted. Subsequently, a special focus will be given on the discussion of the optical and electronic properties of the single-component 2D materials and their vdWhs, which will be closely relevant to their structures, so that we can establish a general structure-property relationship of 2DOI-vdWhs. In addition to these physical properties, the (opto-)electronic devices such as transistors, photodetectors, sensors, spintronics, and neuromorphic devices as well as energy devices will be discussed. Finally, we provide an outlook to discuss the key challenges for the 2DOI-vdWhs and their future development. This review aims to provide a foundational understanding and inspire further innovation in the development of next-generation 2DOI-vdWhs with transformative technological potential.

Two-Level Electronic Switching in Individual Manganese-Phthalocyanine Molecules with Jahn-Teller Distortion

Understanding single molecular switches is a crucial step in designing and optimizing molecular electronic devices with highly nonlinear functionalities, e.g., gate voltage-dependent current switching. An atomically thin insulating template, in combination with scanning probe techniques, is an ideal platform to study such switches on the single-molecule level. In this study, we investigate manganese-phthalocyanine (MnPc) molecules on monolayer-thin epitaxial hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on Rh(111) by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), spectroscopy (STS), and theoretical calculations. Several interesting phenomena are found: (1) high-resolution STM imaging of the molecular orbitals reveals symmetry breaking from D4h to D2h, observed in one type of MnPc. By comparison with simulations, this phenomenon can be attributed to the Jahn-Teller effect due to the negative charging of the molecule. (2) Ambipolar transitions at the molecule occur at fixed sample biases of about ±0.4 V, which manifest as negative differential conductance signatures in dI/dV spectroscopy. (3) The stochastic two-level switching, resulting in telegraphic noise in the tunneling current, manifests as a one-electron activated process. We present a two-level switching model to accurately describe a bias-dependent current-driven transition between the levels and reveal a first-order transition. The understanding and tailoring of molecular switches on the ultrathin insulating layer will be very helpful for future organic electronics design and application.

Chiral Honeycomb Lattices of Nonplanar π-Conjugated Supramolecules with Protected Dirac and Flat Bands

The honeycomb lattice is a fundamental two-dimensional (2D) network that gives rise to surprisingly rich electronic properties. While its expansion to 2D supramolecular assembly is conceptually appealing, its realization is not straightforward because of weak intermolecular coupling and the strong influence of a supporting substrate. Here, we show that the application of a triptycene derivative with phenazine moieties, Trip-Phz, solves this problem due to its strong intermolecular π-π pancake bonding and nonplanar geometry. Our scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements demonstrate that Trip-Phz molecules self-assemble on a Ag(111) surface to form chiral and commensurate honeycomb lattices. Electronically, the network can be viewed as a hybrid of honeycomb and kagome lattices. The Dirac and flat bands predicted by a simple tight-binding model are reproduced by total density functional theory (DFT) calculations, highlighting the protection of the molecular bands from the Ag(111) substrate. The present work offers a rational route for creating chiral 2D supramolecules that can simultaneously accommodate pristine Dirac and flat bands.

How Precisely Can Individual Molecules Be Analyzed? A Case Study on Locally Quantifying Forces and Energies Using Scanning Probe Microscopy

Recent advances in scanning probe microscopy methodology have enabled the measurement of tip-sample interactions with picometer accuracy in all three spatial dimensions, thereby providing a detailed site-specific and distance-dependent picture of the related properties. This paper explores the degree of detail and accuracy that can be achieved in locally quantifying probe-molecule interaction forces and energies for adsorbed molecules. Toward this end, cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc), a promising CO2 reduction catalyst, was studied on Ag(111) as a model system using low-temperature, ultrahigh vacuum noncontact atomic force microscopy. Data were recorded as a function of distance from the surface, from which detailed three-dimensional maps of the molecule's interaction with the tip for normal and lateral forces as well as the tip-molecule interaction potential were constructed. The data were collected with a CO molecule at the tip apex, which enabled a detailed visualization of the atomic structure. Determination of the tip-substrate interaction as a function of distance allowed isolation of the molecule-tip interactions; when analyzing these in terms of a Lennard-Jones-type potential, the atomically resolved equilibrium interaction energies between the CO tethered to the tip and the CoPc molecule could be recovered. Interaction energies peaked at less than 160 meV, indicating a physisorption interaction. As expected, the interaction was weakest at the aromatic hydrogens around the periphery of the molecule and strongest surrounding the metal center. The interaction, however, did not peak directly above the Co atom but rather in pockets surrounding it.

Surface-mediated ordering of pristine Salen molecules on coinage metals

The conformational isomers of Salen molecules and their self-assembled structures on coinage metal surfaces.

On-surface synthesis of gold–coronene molecular wires

Perchlorocoronene undergoes selective dehalogenation under the one-dimensional constraint by intermolecular interactions, resulting in the formation of gold–coronene wires on Au(111) surfaces.

Long-Range Ordered Structures of Corannulene Governed by Electrostatic Repulsion and Surface-State Mediation

The adsorption and assembly of sub-monolayered bowl-shaped corannulene (COR) on Cu(111) and Ag(111) are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Three COR configurations, namely, up, down, and tilted ones, are formed on Cu(111), as unraveled by high-resolution STM images. It is also experimentally revealed that monodispersed, hexagonal, and evenly spaced stripe patterns develop on both Cu(111) and Ag(111). A quantitative evaluation of the long-range intermolecular interaction on Cu(111) mediated by electrostatic repulsion and surface-state mediation is presented. At 0.05 monolayer (ML), the long-range monodispersed pattern is mainly induced by electrostatic interaction. At 0.24 and 0.47 ML, however, surface-state mediation plays a dominant role, and the electrostatic interaction is leveled due to the identical static environment for each molecule.

Chiral features of metal phthalocyanines sitting atop the pre-assembled TiOPc monolayer on Ag(111)

The chiral features of the top-layer TiOPc molecules on monolayered TiOPc assembly on Ag(111) were carefully investigated by scanning tunnelling microscopy and local work function measurements. Combined with the density functional theory calculations, systematic experimental explorations of the TiOPc/TiOPc, CuPc/TiOPc and TiOPc/CuPc systems on Ag(111) revealed that the chirality originated from asymmetric electronic interactions rather than conformational change, which might be related to the high performance of the photoelectronic devices based on the MPc complexes.

Fraternal twins: distinction between PbPc and SnPc by their switching behaviour in a scanning tunnelling microscope

In this contribution, we compare the optical absorbance behaviour and the structural properties of lead(II)-phthalocyanine (PbPc) and tin(II)-phthalocyanine (SnPc) thin films. To this end, we employ a Ag(1 1 1) substrate terminated with a monolayer of 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride constituting an internal interface whose main effect is an electronic decoupling of the phthalocyanine adlayer from the metal surface. As deduced from low-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) measurements, the epitaxial relations and unit cell compositions of the prevailing PbPc monolayer and multilayer domains are confusingly similar to those of SnPc on PTCDA/Ag(1 1 1). However, SnPc and PbPc can be readily distinguished by their STM-induced switching behaviours: while the former is capable of reversible configurational changes, no effect on the latter could be achieved by us under comparable conditions. This corroborates earlier theoretical predictions and even renders the chemical identification of individual shuttlecock-shaped metal-phthalocyanines feasible.

A two-dimensional crystal formed by pentamers on Au(111)

A new type of two-dimensional crystal comprising supramolecular pentamers on Au(111) is studied using an ultra-high vacuum low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscope.

29,31- H Phthalocyanine Covalently Bonded Directly to a Si(111) Surface Retains Its Metalation Ability

The reaction of metal-free phthalocyanine molecules with a chlorine-terminated Si(111) surface is investigated to produce a phthalocyanine functionality directly attached to a semiconductor surface, without additional linkers or layers. The carefully prepared Cl-Si(111) surface provides an oxygen-free substrate that is reacted with 29,31- H phthalocyanine (H₂Pc) in a wet-chemistry process resulting in HCl elimination. The in situ metalation of this H₂Pc-modified silicon surface with cobalt is confirmed, suggesting that the produced functionality is chemically active. These processes are investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry supplemented by density functional theory calculations. The morphology of the surface is monitored by atomic force microscopy. The combined spectroscopic, microscopic, and theoretical investigations demonstrate that additional linkers are not required for phthalocyanine attachment to occur, as the direct attachment can take place by forming Si-N bonds, and that the resulting surface species can participate in a metalation process.

Electronic effects and fundamental physics studied in molecular interfaces

Scanning probe instruments in conjunction with a very low temperature environment have revolutionized the ability of building, functionalizing, and analysing two dimensional interfaces in the last twenty years. In addition, the availability of fast, reliable, and increasingly sophisticated methods to simulate the structure and dynamics of these interfaces allow us to capture even very small effects at the atomic and molecular level. In this review we shall focus largely on metal surfaces and organic molecular compounds and show that building systems from the bottom up and controlling the physical properties of such systems is no longer within the realm of the desirable, but has become day to day reality in our best laboratories.

13-cis-Retinoic acid on coinage metals: hierarchical self-assembly and spin generation

Hierarchical self-assembly of 13-cis-retinoic acid on Au(111) and Ag(111) was investigated using low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy. On both surfaces, molecules form dimers by hydrogen bonds and the dimers arrange into ordered two-dimensional arrays through van der Waals forces. Three packing modes are observed on Au(111) and only one on Ag(111). We tentatively attribute the different patterns on the two surfaces to a stronger molecule-substrate interaction on Ag(111) and site-dependent molecular adsorption on different atomic lattices. In addition, 13-cis-ReA on Au(111) can be made to carry a localized spin.

Template Effect of the Graphene Moiré Lattice on Phthalocyanine Assembly

Superstructures of metal-free phthalocyanine (2H-Pc) molecules on graphene-covered Ir(111) have been explored by scanning tunnelling microscopy. Depending on the sub-monolayer coverage different molecular assemblies form at the surface. They reflect the transition from a graphene template effect on the 2H-Pc arrangement to molecular superstructures that are mainly governed by the intermolecular coupling.

Vacuum synthesis of magnetic aluminum phthalocyanine on Au(111)

Air-unstable magnetic aluminum phthalocyanine (AlPc) molecules are prepared by an on-surface metalation reaction of phthalocyanine with aluminum (Al) atoms on Au(111) in ultrahigh vacuum. Experiments and density functional theory calculations show that an unpaired spin is located on the conjugated isoindole lobes of the molecule rather than at the Al position.

Confinement properties of 2D porous molecular networks on metal surfaces

Quantum effects that arise from confinement of electronic states have been extensively studied for the surface states of noble metals. Utilizing small artificial structures for confinement allows tailoring of the surface properties and offers unique opportunities for applications. So far, examples of surface state confinement include thin films, artificial nanoscale structures, vacancy and adatom islands, self-assembled 1D chains, vicinal surfaces, quantum dots and quantum corrals. In this review we summarize recent achievements in changing the electronic structure of surfaces by adsorption of nanoporous networks whose design principles are based on the concepts of supramolecular chemistry. Already in 1993, it was shown that quantum corrals made from Fe atoms on a Cu(1 1 1) surface using single atom manipulation with a scanning tunnelling microscope confine the Shockley surface state. However, since the atom manipulation technique for the construction of corral structures is a relatively time consuming process, the fabrication of periodic two-dimensional (2D) corral structures is practically impossible. On the other side, by using molecular self-assembly extended 2D porous structures can be achieved in a parallel process, i.e. all pores are formed at the same time. The molecular building blocks are usually held together by non-covalent interactions like hydrogen bonding, metal coordination or dipolar coupling. Due to the reversibility of the bond formation defect-free and long-range ordered networks can be achieved. However, recently also examples of porous networks formed by covalent coupling on the surface have been reported. By the choice of the molecular building blocks, the dimensions of the network (pore size and pore to pore distance) can be controlled. In this way, the confinement properties of the individual pores can be tuned. In addition, the effect of the confined state on the hosting properties of the pores will be discussed in this review article.

Growth of covalently bonded Sierpiński triangles up to the second generation

Growth of covalently bonded Sierpiński triangles (CB-STs) on metal surfaces was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).

A series of asymmetrical phthalocyanines: synthesis and near infrared properties

We report here the preparation of asymmetrical phthalocyanine dimers 1a–3a, which are endowed with novel charge transfer bands at 1,151–1,154 nm and strong NIR luminescences at 840–860 nm and 1,600–1,650 nm. Through H-bonding interaction, 1a–3a are inclined to self-assemble into hexrod nanotubes at the interface of CHCl₃ and CH₃OH. Our results provide further insights into the interaction in molecular dimers, and suggest that 1a–3a have potential application in magnets and supramolecular architectures.

Acetylene on Cu(111): imaging a molecular surface arrangement with a constantly rearranging tip

Acetylene on Cu(111) is investigated by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM); a surface pattern previously derived from diffraction measurements can be validated, if the variation of the STM image transfer function through absorption of an acetylene molecule onto the tip apex is taken into account. Density functional theory simulations point to a balance between short-range repulsive interactions of acetylene/Cu(111) associated with surface stress and longer range attractive interactions as the origin of the ordering.

Coalescence of 3-phenyl-propynenitrile on Cu(111) into interlocking pinwheel chains

3-phenyl-propynenitrile (PPN) adsorbs on Cu(111) in a hexagonal network of molecular trimers formed through intermolecular interaction of the cyano group of one molecule with the aromatic ring of its neighbor. Heptamers of trimers coalesce into interlocking pinwheel-shaped structures that, by percolating across islands of the original trimer coverage, create the appearance of gear chains. Density functional theory aids in identifying substrate stress associated with the chemisorption of PPN's acetylene group as the cause of this transition.

Do two-dimensional "noble gas atoms" produce molecular honeycombs at a metal surface?

Anthraquinone self-assembles on Cu(111) into a giant honeycomb network with exactly three molecules on each side. Here we propose that the exceptional degree of order achieved in this system can be explained as a consequence of the confinement of substrate electrons in the pores, with the pore size tailored so that the confined electrons can adopt a noble-gas-like two-dimensional quasi-atom configuration with two filled shells. Formation of identical pores in a related adsorption system (at different overall periodicity due to the different molecule size) corroborates this concept. A combination of photoemission spectroscopy with density functional theory computations (including van der Waals interactions) of adsorbate-substrate interactions allows quantum mechanical modeling of the spectra of the resultant quasi-atoms and their energetics.

Adsorbates in a box: titration of substrate electronic states

Nanoscale confinement of adsorbed CO molecules in an anthraquinone network on Cu(111) with a pore size of ≈4  nm arranges the CO molecules in a shell structure that coincides with the distribution of substrate confined electronic states. Molecules occupy the states approximately in the sequence of rising electron energy. Despite the sixfold symmetry of the pore boundary itself, the adsorbate distribution adopts the threefold symmetry of the network-substrate system, highlighting the importance of the substrate even for such quasi-free-electron systems.