Molecular Imaging of Viologen Adlayers and In Situ Monitoring Structural Transformations at Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces.

The effects of temperature and molecular concentration on the ordering of two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures have been investigated at the well-defined Au(111)-electrolyte interface. In comparison to the assembly of thiolated alkanes or hydrogen-bonded nonthiolated molecules, fabricating large aromatic thiolated molecules into a highly ordered adlayer on a surface remained a challenge. In this study, we demonstrated the importance of controlling the assembly conditions and procedures for the formation of ordered adlayers of redox-active viologen derivatives.

Probing Molecular Nanostructures of Aromatic Terephthalic Acids Triggered by Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonds and Electrochemical Potential.

Self-assembly provides unique routes to create supramolecular nanostructures at well-defined surfaces. In the present work, we employed scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in combination with electrochemical techniques to explore the adsorption and phase formation of a series of aromatic carboxylic acids (ACAs) at Au(111)/0.1 M HClO.