INSP - 4 place Jussieu - 75252 PARIS Cedex 05 - Barre 22-32 - 4^e étage, salle 407

Anthoula Papageorgiou - Molecular Nanoscience & Chemical Physics of Interfaces (E20), Department of Physics, Technical University of Munich

Abstract

Organic species and nanoarchitectures including metal atoms at well-defined interfaces provide high potential for key technological applications, spanning over the design of single-site heterogeneous catalysts, novel materials for light harvesting, the fabrication of molecular rotors and nanomachines and the advent of molecular spintronics. The advancement is underpinned by the continuous development of materials with tailored properties controllable at the molecular scale. Thus, it is of central importance to explore new strategies for synthesis and processing, which should ideally minimize costs and effort and be clean, reproducible and highly controlled.

Here we visit the extension of the conjugation (polymerisation) of all-organic N-containing molecules with the aim of tuning the electronic bandgap. Further functionalisation is achieved by incorporation of various metals in the surface nanoarchitectures. In reverse order, we investigate new avenues towards metal directed self-assembly of organic matter at interfaces, by adjusting the functional moiety of the organic part, or the metal centre. Finally, we extend this approach to introduce organometallic nanostructures with carbenes, which provide strong tethers to surfaces, routes to organometallic materials, metallopharmaceuticals and homogeneous catalysts. We achieve both planar and out-of-plane ligation, therefore giving the potential for extension from surface supported two-dimensional to thin films of metal-organic frameworks.

Our methodology encompasses a battery of cutting-edge experimental techniques developed for ultrahigh vacuum surface science : scanning probe microscopies address single molecule behaviour, while temperature programmed reaction spectroscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure allow to scrutinize molecular ensembles. The integration of all these analysis techniques combined with theoretical considerations generates a high degree of precision in the understanding of interfacial processes at the atomic level. Henceforth the structure function relationships may be deciphered enabling innovative pathways for the bottom-up fabrication of advanced, functional nanoarchitectures.