Patterned formation of enolate functional groups on the graphene basal plane.

Chemical functionalization of graphene is one method pursued to engineer new properties into a graphene sheet. Graphene oxide is the most commonly used chemical derivative of graphene. Here we present experimental evidence for the formation of enolate moieties when oxygen atoms are added to the graphene basal plane.

The Orientation of Silver Surfaces Drives the Reactivity and the Selectivity in Homo-Coupling Reactions.

Original reaction pathways can be explored in the on-surface synthesis approach where small aromatic precursors are confined to the surface of single crystal metals. The bis-indanedione molecule reacted with itself on silver surfaces in different ways, through a Knoevenagel reaction or an oxidative coupling, leading to the formation of a variety of new molecular compounds and covalently-linked 1D or 2D networks. Noteworthy, original reaction products were obtained that cannot be synthesized in traditional solvent-based chemistry.

Exciting H Molecules for Graphene Functionalization.

Hydrogen functionalization of graphene by exposure to vibrationally excited H molecules is investigated by combined scanning tunneling microscopy, high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, and density functional theory calculations. The measurements reveal that vibrationally excited H molecules dissociatively adsorb on graphene on Ir(111) resulting in nanopatterned hydrogen functionalization structures. Calculations demonstrate that the presence of the Ir surface below the graphene lowers the H dissociative adsorption barrier and allows for the adsorption reaction at energies well below the dissociation threshold of the H-H bond.

On-surface synthesis of aligned functional nanoribbons monitored by scanning tunnelling microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy.

In the blooming field of on-surface synthesis, molecular building blocks are designed to self-assemble and covalently couple directly on a well-defined surface, thus allowing the exploration of unusual reaction pathways and the production of specific compounds in mild conditions. Here we report on the creation of functionalized organic nanoribbons on the Ag(110) surface. C-H bond activation and homo-coupling of the precursors is achieved upon thermal activation.