Invited Paper SP+AS+MI+NS+SS-TuM3
Exploring Surface-assisted Reactions Toward Functional Carbon Nanostructures

Tuesday, November 8, 2016, 8:40 am, Room 104A

Understanding the dehydrogenation and dehalogenation reactions of molecular entities on surface is essential for the controlled synthesis of carbon-based nanostructures. Delicately designed precursor molecules exploit the potential of selective activation of functional groups and templating effect of substrates and promise the fabrication of nanoscale building blocks with desired geometries. Here we employed a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and theoretical calculation to elucidate self-assembling of halogen-containing molecules on metal surfaces. Metallo-supramolecular assemblies are constructed via coordination bonding between metal atoms and halogen ligands. The spontaneously formed molecular scaffolds are further explored to program the structure and chemical composition of hybrid carbon architecture. We reveal the hierarchic reaction pathway of a few aromatic derivatives in an effort toward realizing carbon-based nanostructures with controllable electronic, optical and magnetic properties.