Adsorption of Azobenzene on Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanomesh Supported by Rh(111)

Szitas, Adam and Gubó, Richárd and Pásztor, Tibor and Farkas, Arnold Péter and Ajtai, Tibor and Óvári, László and Palotás, Krisztián and Berkó, András and Kónya, Zoltán (2020) Adsorption of Azobenzene on Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanomesh Supported by Rh(111). JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C - NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES, 124 (26). pp. 14182-14194. ISSN 1932-7447

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Abstract

Adsorption properties of azobenzene, the prototypical molecular switch, were investigated on a hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayer ("nanomesh") prepared on Rh(111). The h-BN layer was produced by decomposing borazine (B3N3H6) at 1000-1050 K. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) studies revealed that azobenzene molecules adsorbed on the "wire"and "pore"regions desorb at slightly different temperatures. Angle-resolved high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) measurements demonstrated that the first molecular layer is characterized predominantly by an adsorption geometry with the molecular plane parallel to the surface. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) indicated a clear preference for adsorption in the pores, manifesting a templating effect, but in some cases one-dimensional molecular stripes also form, implying attractive molecule-molecule interaction. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided further details regarding the adsorption energetics and bonding and confirmed the experimental findings that the molecules adsorb with the phenyl rings parallel to the surface, preferentially in the pores, and indicated also the presence of an attractive molecule-molecule interaction. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.

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