On-surface polymerisation and self-assembly of DPP-based molecular wires

Clarke, Michael; Bellamy-Carter, Abigail; Malagreca, Ferdinando; Hart, Jack; Argent, Stephen P.; O'Shea, James N.; Amabilino, David B.; Saywell, Alex

Abstract

The incorporation of organic semiconducting materials within solid-state electronic devices provides a potential route to highly efficient photovoltaics, transistors, and light emitting diodes. Key to the realisation of such devices is efficient intramolecular charge transport within molecular species, as well as intermolecular/interdomain transport, which necessitates highly ordered supramolecular domains. The on-surface synthesis of polymeric organic materials (incorporating donor and/or acceptor moieties) is one pathway towards the production of highly ordered molecular domains. Here we study the formation of a polymer based upon a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) monomer unit, possessing aryl-halide groups to facilitate on-surface covalent coupling and functionalised with alkyl chains which drive the self-assembly of both the monomer material prior to reaction and the domains of polymeric material following on-surface synthesis. The self-assembled structure of close-packed domains of the monomer units, and the ordered polymers, are investigated and characterised using scanning tunnelling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Citation

Clarke, M., Bellamy-Carter, A., Malagreca, F., Hart, J., Argent, S. P., O'Shea, J. N., …Saywell, A. (2023). On-surface polymerisation and self-assembly of DPP-based molecular wires. Molecular Systems Design and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1039/d2me00232a

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 14, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Feb 16, 2023
• Publication Date: Feb 21, 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 22, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 22, 2023
• Journal: Molecular Systems Design and Engineering
• Print ISSN: 2058-9689
• Electronic ISSN: 2058-9689
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d2me00232a
• Keywords: Materials Chemistry, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Process Chemistry and Technology, Energy Engineering and Power Technology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous), Chemistry (miscellaneous)
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/17659269
• Publisher URL: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/ME/D2ME00232A