Chemical interaction and molecular growth of a highly dipolar merocyanine molecule on metal surfaces: A photoelectron spectroscopy study

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Main Authors: Oecal, Baris, Weitkamp, Philipp, Meerholz, Klaus, Olthof, Selina
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Oecal, Baris
Weitkamp, Philipp
Meerholz, Klaus
Olthof, Selina
author_facet Oecal, Baris
Weitkamp, Philipp
Meerholz, Klaus
Olthof, Selina
contents The growth and ordering of molecules on surfaces is an intriguing research topic as insights gained here can be of significant relevance for organic electronic devices. While often simple, rigid molecules are employed as model systems, we show results for a highly dipolar merocyanine which is studied on top of Au(100), Ag(100) and Cu(100) metal single crystals. Film thicknesses ranging from submonolayer to multilayer regimes are analyzed using UV (UPS) and X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For the monolayer regime, there is strong indication of face on orientation, with both of the molecules sulfur atoms bonding to the metal surfaces. Here, on Ag and Au(100) the sulfur atoms lose some or all of their intrinsic charges due to a charge transfer with the substrate, while on Cu(100) a strong metal sulfur bond forms. The interaction between the substrate and the molecules can also be seen in the intensity and width of the highest occupied molecular orbital features in UPS. Upon multilayer deposition, a gradual lowering in ionization energy is observed, likely due to the formation of antiparallel dimers followed by an increased charge carrier delocalization due to the formation of an extended molecular aggregate for thicker layers. Interestingly, on Cu(100) the aggregated phase is already observed for much lower deposition, showing the importance of substrate-molecule interaction on the subsequent film growth. Therefore, this study offers a detailed understanding of the interface formation and electronic structure evolution for merocyanine films on different metal surfaces.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_00855
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Chemical interaction and molecular growth of a highly dipolar merocyanine molecule on metal surfaces: A photoelectron spectroscopy study
Oecal, Baris
Weitkamp, Philipp
Meerholz, Klaus
Olthof, Selina
Chemical Physics
Materials Science
The growth and ordering of molecules on surfaces is an intriguing research topic as insights gained here can be of significant relevance for organic electronic devices. While often simple, rigid molecules are employed as model systems, we show results for a highly dipolar merocyanine which is studied on top of Au(100), Ag(100) and Cu(100) metal single crystals. Film thicknesses ranging from submonolayer to multilayer regimes are analyzed using UV (UPS) and X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For the monolayer regime, there is strong indication of face on orientation, with both of the molecules sulfur atoms bonding to the metal surfaces. Here, on Ag and Au(100) the sulfur atoms lose some or all of their intrinsic charges due to a charge transfer with the substrate, while on Cu(100) a strong metal sulfur bond forms. The interaction between the substrate and the molecules can also be seen in the intensity and width of the highest occupied molecular orbital features in UPS. Upon multilayer deposition, a gradual lowering in ionization energy is observed, likely due to the formation of antiparallel dimers followed by an increased charge carrier delocalization due to the formation of an extended molecular aggregate for thicker layers. Interestingly, on Cu(100) the aggregated phase is already observed for much lower deposition, showing the importance of substrate-molecule interaction on the subsequent film growth. Therefore, this study offers a detailed understanding of the interface formation and electronic structure evolution for merocyanine films on different metal surfaces.
title Chemical interaction and molecular growth of a highly dipolar merocyanine molecule on metal surfaces: A photoelectron spectroscopy study
topic Chemical Physics
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.00855