Highly ordered molecular rotor matrix on a nanopatterned template: titanyl phthalocyanine molecules on FeO/Pt(111). (4th June 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lu, Shuangzan; Huang, Min; Qin, Zhihui; Yu, Yinghui; Guo, Qinmin; Cao, Gengyu
• Is Part Of: Nanotechnology. Volume 29:Number 31(2018)
• Publication Date: 2018-06-04
• Subjects: molecular rotor -- TiOPc -- rotor matrix -- FeO(111); Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology; Publications périodiques; Nanotechnologies; Periodicals; 620.5
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aac594
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0957-4484

Abstract

Abstract: Molecular rotors, motors and gears play important roles in artificial molecular machines, in which rotor and motor matrices are highly desirable for large-scale bottom-up fabrication of molecular machines. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of a highly ordered molecular rotor matrix by depositing nonplanar dipolar titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc, C32 H16 N8 OTi) molecules on a Moiré patterned dipolar FeO/Pt(111) substrate. TiOPc molecules with O atoms pointing outwards from the substrate (upward) or towards the substrate (downward) are alternatively adsorbed on the fcc sites by strong lateral confinement. The adsorbed molecules, i.e. two kinds of molecular rotors, show different scanning tunneling microscopy images, thermal stabilities and rotational characteristics. Density functional theory calculations clarify that TiOPc molecules anchoring upwards with high adsorption energies correspond to low-rotational-rate rotors, while those anchoring downwards with low adsorption energies correspond to high-rotational-rate rotors. A robust rotor matrix fully occupied by low-rate rotors is fabricated by depositing molecules on the substrate at elevated temperature. Such a paradigm opens up a promising route to fabricate functional molecular rotor matrices, driven motor matrices and even gear groups on solid substrates.