Project description
Atomic-level control of covalent bonding in supramolecular self-assembly on substrates
Guiding supramolecular self-assembly to yield innovative materials with tailored functionalities is an area of intense research with potential applications in advanced devices. However, until now, self assembly has primarily relied on non-covalent interactions. These relatively weak bonds limit the materials’ stability and potentially their functionality. Recent advances have led to the first covalently bonded organic networks synthesised directly on substrate surfaces under ultra-high-vacuum conditions. The European Research Council-funded SURFINK project will advance this promising nascent field by enhancing the control of atomic structure in three types of advanced materials: graphene nanoribbons, porous frameworks, and donor-acceptor networks. The team will also develop a characterisation toolbox focusing on scanning probe microscopies.
Objective
With the advent of self-assembly, increasingly high hopes are being placed on supramolecular materials as future active components of a variety of devices. The main challenge remains the design and assembly of supramolecular structures with emerging functionalities tailored according to our needs. In this respect, the extensive research over the last decades has led to impressive progress in the self-assembly of molecular structures. However, self-assembly typically relies on non-covalent interactions, which are relatively weak and limit the structure’s stability and often even their functionality. Only recently the first covalently bonded organic networks were synthesized directly on substrate surfaces under ultra-high-vacuum, whose structure could be defined by appropriate design of the molecular precursors. The potential of this approach was immediately recognized and has attracted great attention. However, the field is still in its infancy, and the aim of this project is to lift this new concept to higher levels of sophistication reaching real functionality.
For optimum tunability of the material’s properties, its structure must be controlled to the atomic level and allow great levels of complexity and perfection. Complexity can be reached e.g. with hybrid structures combining different types of precursors. In this project, this hardly explored approach will be applied to three families of materials of utmost timeliness and relevance: graphene nanoribbons, porous frameworks, and donor-acceptor networks. Along the pursuit of these objectives, side challenges that will be addressed are the extension of our currently available chemistry-on-surfaces toolbox by identification of new reactions, optimized reaction conditions, surfaces, and ultimately their combination strategies. A battery of tools, with special emphasis on scanning probe microscopies, will be used to visualize and characterize the reactions and physical-chemical properties of the resulting materials.
Fields of science
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Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting GrantHost institution
20018 Donostia San Sebastian
Spain