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Nanoconfined self-assembly on a grafted graphitic surface under electrochemical control
Thi Mien Trung Huynh1, Thanh Hai Phan, Oleksandr Ivasenko
1KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Department of Chemistry, Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. steven.defeyter@kuleuven.be huynhthimientrung@qnu.edu.vn stmerten@gmail.com.
Nanoscale
|December 8, 2016
Summary
Highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was covalently functionalized using aryl radicals. This stable, grafted layer can be patterned with nanolithography for studying confined self-assembly.
Area of Science:
- Surface Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) is a model system for studying 2D materials.
- Covalent functionalization offers a route to modify HOPG surface properties.
- Electrochemical methods provide precise control over surface reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To covalently graft aryl radicals onto HOPG surfaces.
- To characterize the stability and structure of the grafted layer.
- To demonstrate the use of nanolithography for creating confined environments on HOPG.
Main Methods:
- Electrochemical reduction of 3,5-bis-tert-butyl-diazonium cations (3,5-TBD) for grafting.
- Electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM) for structural analysis.
- Cyclic voltammetry (CV) for assessing electrochemical stability.
- EC-STM-tip nanolithography for pattern generation.
Main Results:
- Stable covalent grafting of aryl radicals onto HOPG was achieved.
- The grafted layer exhibited stability over a wide electrochemical window (>2.5 V).
- EC-STM-tip nanolithography successfully removed the grafted layer, creating nanoconfined regions.
- These nanoconfined regions were utilized to study the nucleation and growth of self-assembled dibenzyl viologen structures.
Conclusions:
- Covalent aryl radical grafting provides a stable modification of HOPG surfaces.
- Electrochemical nanolithography enables precise patterning of HOPG for nanoconfined studies.
- This approach facilitates the investigation of electrochemical phenomena and self-assembly under controlled nanoscale environments.
