Hydrogen-bonded clusters of 1, 1'-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid on Au(111) are initially formed in solution

Rebecca C Quardokus; Natalie A Wasio; Ryan D Brown; John A Christie; Kenneth W Henderson; Ryan P Forrest; Craig S Lent; Steven A Corcelli; S Alex Kandel

doi:10.1063/1.4909517

Hydrogen-bonded clusters of 1, 1'-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid on Au(111) are initially formed in solution

J Chem Phys. 2015 Mar 14;142(10):101927. doi: 10.1063/1.4909517.

Authors

Rebecca C Quardokus¹, Natalie A Wasio¹, Ryan D Brown¹, John A Christie¹, Kenneth W Henderson¹, Ryan P Forrest¹, Craig S Lent², Steven A Corcelli¹, S Alex Kandel¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-5670, USA.
² Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-5637, USA.

PMID: 25770516
DOI: 10.1063/1.4909517

Abstract

Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy is used to observe self-assembled structures of ferrocenedicarboxylic acid (Fc(COOH)2) on the Au(111) surface. The surface is prepared by pulse-deposition of Fc(COOH)2 dissolved in methanol, and the solvent is evaporated before imaging. While the rows of hydrogen-bonded dimers that are common for carboxylic acid species are observed, the majority of adsorbed Fc(COOH)2 is instead found in six-molecule clusters with a well-defined and chiral geometry. The coverage and distribution of these clusters are consistent with a random sequential adsorption model, showing that solution-phase species are determinative of adsorbate distribution for this system under these reaction conditions.