Ultra-narrow donor-acceptor nanoribbons

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Electronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Donor-acceptor (D-A) architectures are crucial for high-performance conjugated polymers.
• Their application in atomically precise nanoribbons is largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the on-surface synthesis of ultra-narrow D-A nanoribbons.
• To explore their structural and electronic properties.
• To establish a platform for engineering π-conjugated nanostructures.

Main Methods:

• On-surface synthesis using complementary brominated precursors (donor: peri-xanthenoxanthene, acceptor: anthanthrone).
• High-resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS).
• Gas-phase density functional theory (DFT) calculations and a linear combination of molecular orbitals (LCAO) model.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of well-defined donor-only, acceptor-only, and mixed D-A nanoribbons.
• Submolecular structural and electronic features were resolved.
• Electronic properties were tuneable by monomer sequence and length.
• Experimental results align with DFT and LCAO models.

Conclusions:

• A bottom-up synthetic strategy provides precise control over nanoribbon composition and functionality.
• This approach enables the engineering of π-conjugated nanostructures with tailored optoelectronic properties.
• Opens new avenues for designing advanced organic electronic materials.