Bilayer Molecular Assembly at a Solid/Liquid Interface as Triggered by a Mild Electric Field1. Issue 49 (6th November 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zheng, Qing‐Na; Liu, Xuan‐He; Liu, Xing‐Rui; Chen, Ting; Yan, Hui‐Juan; Zhong, Yu‐Wu; Wang, Dong; Wan, Li‐Jun
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie international edition. Volume 53:Issue 49(2014)
• Page Start: 13395
• Page End: 13399
• Publication Date: 2014-11-06
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201406523
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1433-7851

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>The construction of a spatially defined assembly of molecular building blocks, especially in the vertical direction, presents a great challenge for surface molecular engineering. Herein, we demonstrate that an electric field applied between an STM tip and a substrate triggered the formation of a bilayer structure at the solid–liquid interface. In contrast to the typical high electric‐field strength (10⁹ V m⁻¹) used to induce structural transitions in supramolecular assemblies, a mild electric field (10⁵ V m⁻¹) triggered the formation of a bilayer structure of a polar molecule on top of a nanoporous network of trimesic acid on graphite. The bilayer structure was transformed into a monolayer kagome structure by changing the polarity of the electric field. This tailored formation and large‐scale phase transformation of a molecular assembly in the perpendicular dimension by a mild electric field opens perspectives for the manipulation of surface molecular nanoarchitectures.</p> </abstract>