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Deprotonation-Induced Structural Evolution in the Self-Assembled Submonolayer of Heptaazaphenalene-Tribenzoic Acid on
Zhaokun Wang1,2, Haiwei Wang2, Suya Dai2
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Abstract:
We report the thermally induced self-assembly evolution of 4,4',4″-(1,3,4,6,7,9,9b-heptaazaphenalene-2,5,8-triyl) tris-benzoic acid (HTBA) molecules on Au(111) at submonolayer coverage using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). STM imaging reveals a structural transformation from a honeycomb network stabilized by hydrogen bonds at room temperature to a step-like phase with partial deprotonation at 320 K and finally to a chiral pinwheel phase formed by fully deprotonated molecules at 380 K. The pinwheel phase features coexisting enantiomorphic domains and dense hexagonal cavities. These results demonstrate the pivotal role of deprotonation in controlling molecular self-assembly and offer insights for designing thermally responsive nanostructures on metal surfaces.
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