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Updated: Aug 14, 2025
Synthesis of Substrate-Bound Au Nanowires Via an Active Surface Growth Mechanism
Published on: July 18, 2018
Different Stepwise Growth Mechanism of AIE-Active Tetraphenylethylene-Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks on
Hengqi Zou1, Liqian Liu1, Songyao Zhang1
1Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, College of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Fabricating tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with aggregation- induced emission on surfaces and understanding the growth mechanism have not yet been pursued. Herein, MOFs constructed via the Ullmann-type reaction of a C2-symmetry TPE derivative (p-BrTBE) on Au(111) and Cu(111) surfaces were thoroughly investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy. On a Au(111) surface, p-BrTBE molecules formed the self-assembled pattern at 298 K. Stepwise annealing led to a progressive evolution process, in which the stepwise debromination reaction led to organometallic intermediates, and surface-stabilized radicals and metal-organic networks were formed. By contrast, the relatively ordered MOFs were obtained by replacing the underlying substrate with the more catalytically active Cu(111) at 298 K. Density functional theory calculations demonstrated that the formation of different networks on Au(111) and Cu(111) was determined by the different conformations of the TBE unit on the different substrates due to the different adsorption energy.
