Self-Sensitization and Photo-Polymerization of Diacetylene Molecules Self-Assembled on a Hexagonal-Boron Nitride Nanosheet
Résumé
Long poly-diacetylene chains are excellent candidates for planar, on-surface synthesized
molecular electronic wires. Since hexagonal-Boron Nitride (h-BN) was identified as the best
available atomically flat insulator for the deposition of poly-diacetylene precursors, we demonstrate
the polymerization patterns and rate on it under UV-light irradiation, with subsequent polymer
identification by atomic force microscopy. The results on h-BN indicate self-sensitization which
yields blocks comprised of several polymers, unlike on the well-studied graphite/diacetylene system,
where the polymers are always isolated. In addition, the photo-polymerization proceeds at least
170 times faster on h-BN, where it also results in longer polymers. Both effects are explained by
the h-BN bandgap, which is larger than the diacetylene electronic excitation energy, thus allowing
the transfer of excess energy absorbed by polymerized wires to adjacent monomers, triggering
their polymerization. This work sets the stage for conductance measurements of single molecular
poly-diacetylene wires on h-BN.
Domaines
Physique [physics]
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