Insight into organometallic intermediate and its evolution to covalent bonding in surface-confined ullmann polymerization

Marco Di Giovannantonio, Mohamed El Garah, Josh Lipton-Duffin, Vincent Meunier, Luis Cardenas, Yannick Fagot Revurat, Albano Cossaro, Alberto Verdini, Dmitrii F. Perepichka, Federico Rosei, Giorgio Contini

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

186 Scopus citations

Abstract

We provide insight into surface-catalyzed dehalogenative polymerization, analyzing the organometallic intermediate and its evolution into planar polymeric structures. A combined study using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy and first-principles calculations unveils the structural conformation of substrate-bound phenylene intermediates generated from 1,4-dibromobenzene precursors on Cu(110), showing the stabilizing role of the halogen. The appearance of covalently bonded conjugated structures is followed in real time by fast-XPS measurements (with an acquisition time of 2 s per spectrum and heating rate of 2 K/s), showing that the detaching of phenylene units from the copper substrate and subsequent polymerization occur upon annealing above 460 ± 10 K.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)8190-8198
Number of pages9
JournalACS nano
Volume7
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 24 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science
  • General Engineering
  • General Physics and Astronomy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Insight into organometallic intermediate and its evolution to covalent bonding in surface-confined ullmann polymerization'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this