Subsurface Carbon-Induced Local Charge of Copper for On-Surface Displacement Reaction

Transition metal carbides have sparked unprecedented enthusiasm as high-performance catalysts in recent years. Still, the catalytic properties of copper (Cu) carbide remain unexplored. By introducing subsurface carbon (C) to Cu(111), displacement reaction of proton in carboxyl acid group with single Cu atom is demonstrated at the atomic scale and room temperature. Its occurrence is attributed to the C-doping induced local charge of surface Cu atoms (up to +0.30 e/atom), which accelerates the rate of on-surface deprotonation via reduction of the corresponding energy barrier, thus enabling the instant displacement of a proton with a Cu atom when the molecules land on the surface. Such well-defined and robust Cu$^{delta +}$ surface based on the subsurface C doping offers a novel catalytic platform for on-surface synthesis.

On-Surface Decarboxylation Coupling Facilitated by Lock-to-Unlock Variation of Molecules upon the Reaction

On-surface synthesis (OSS) involving relatively high energy barriers remains challenging due to a typical dilemma: firm molecular anchor is required to prevent molecular desorption upon the reaction, whereas sufficient lateral mobility is crucial for subsequent coupling and assembly. By locking the molecular precursors on the substrate then unlocking them during the reaction, we present a strategy to address this challenge. High-yield synthesis based on well-defined decarboxylation, intermediate transition and hexamerization is demonstrated, resulting in an extended and ordered network exclusively composed of the newly-synthesized macrocyclic compound. Thanks to the steric hindrance of its maleimide group, we attain a preferential selection of the coupling. This work unlocks a promising path to enrich the reaction types and improve the coupling selectivity hence the structual homogeneity of the final product for OSS.

A Large Starphene Comprising Pentacene Branches

Starphenes are attractive compounds due to their characteristic physicochemical properties that are inherited from acenes, making them interesting compounds for organic electronics and optics. However, the instability and low solubility of larger starphene homologs make their synthesis extremely challenging. Herein, we present a new strategy leading to pristine [16]starphene in preparative scale. Our approach is based on a synthesis of a carbonyl-protected starphene precursor that is thermally converted in a solid-state form to the neat [16]starphene, which is then characterised with a variety of analytical methods, such as 13C CP-MAS NMR, TGA, MS MALDI, UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy. Furthermore, high-resolution STM experiments unambiguously confirm its expected structure and reveal a moderate electronic delocalisation between the pentacene arms. Nucleus-independent chemical shifts NICS(1) are also calculated to survey its aromatic character.

Self-decoupled tetrapodal perylene molecules for luminescence studies of isolated emitters on Au(111)

Self-decoupled tetrapodal perylene molecules were designed, synthesized, and deposited on the Au(111) surface through the electrosprayionization technique. Photoluminescence and lifetime measurements show that the chromophore groups of the designed molecules are welldecoupled from the gold substrate. Preliminary scanning tunneling microscopy induced luminescence measurements indicate theobservation of molecule-specific emissions from isolated single tetrapodal perylene molecules adsorbed directly on Au(111). The emergenceof significant emission when the tip is positioned at the molecular center suggests that there is a considerable vertical component of the transitiondipole of the designed molecule along the tip axial direction. Our results may open up a route for the realization of nanolight sourcesand plasmonic devices based on organic molecules.