Seeded on-surface supramolecular growth for large area conductive donor-acceptor assembly

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Organic Electronics

Background:

• Charge transport in organic semiconductors is crucial for device performance.
• Creating large-area, ordered supramolecular assemblies of donor-acceptor systems is challenging.
• Controlled self-assembly pathways are needed for scalable organic electronics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel method for large-area on-surface supramolecular growth of donor-acceptor assemblies.
• To demonstrate the seeded, evaporation-assisted growth of tetrathiafulvalene and tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ).
• To explore new pathways for supramolecular chemistry and device applications.

Main Methods:

• Seeded, evaporation-assisted growth process on a surface.
• Utilizing active termini of solution-formed sheaves for controlled assembly.
• Characterization of molecular ordering and electrical conductivity.

Main Results:

• Successful creation of a large-area donor-acceptor assembly (TTF-TCNQ) on a surface.
• Achieved excellent molecular ordering within the assembly.
• Demonstrated good electrical conductivity of approximately 10⁻² S cm⁻¹.
• Utilized both internally formed and externally added sheaf-like seeds.

Conclusions:

• The seeded, evaporation-assisted growth method enables practical, large-area supramolecular assembly formation.
• The ordered TTF-TCNQ assembly exhibits significant electrical conductivity.
• This approach opens new avenues for supramolecular chemistry and organic electronic device fabrication.