Abstract
Fundamental understanding of the correlation between the structure and reactivity of chemically addressable N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) molecules on various surfaces is essential for the design of functional NHC-based self-assembled monolayers. In this work, we identified the ways by which the deposition of chemically addressable OH-NHCs on Au(111) or Pt(111) surfaces modified the anchoring geometry and chemical reactivity of surface-anchored NHCs. The properties of surface-anchored NHCs were probed by conducting X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and polarized near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure measurements. While no preferred orientation was identified for OH-NHCs on Pt(111), the anchored molecules adopted a preferred flat-lying position on Au(111). Dehydrogenation and aromatization of the imidazoline ring along with partial hydroxyl oxidation were detected in OH-NHCs that were anchored on Au(111). The dehydrogenation and aromatization reactions were facilitated, along with partial decomposition, for OH-NHCs that were anchored on Pt(111). The spectroscopic results reveal that stronger metal-adsorbate interactions increase the reactivity of surface-anchored OH-NHCs while decreasing their molecular orientational order.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 697-703 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Langmuir |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 28 Jan 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was partially supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 802769, ERC Starting Grant “MapCat”). S.D. acknowledges the Israeli Ministry of Energy and the Azrieli foundation for financial support. F.D.T. acknowledges the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences of the US Department of Energy at LBNL (DE-AC02-05CH11231) for partial support of this work. I.B. acknowledges the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology and the Harvey M. Krueger Family Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for their financial support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 American Chemical Society.