On-Surface Synthesis of Cumulene-Containing Polymers via Two-Step Dehalogenative Homocoupling of Dibromomethylene-Functionalized Tribenzoazulene

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • José I. Urgel - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Marco Di Giovannantonio - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Kristjan Eimre - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Thorsten G. Lohr - , Chair of Molecular Functional Materials (cfaed) (Author)
  • Junzhi Liu - , Chair of Molecular Functional Materials (cfaed) (Author)
  • Shantanu Mishra - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Qiang Sun - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Amogh Kinikar - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Roland Widmer - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Samuel Stolz - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) (Author)
  • Max Bommert - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Reinhard Berger - , Chair of Molecular Functional Materials (cfaed) (Author)
  • Pascal Ruffieux - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Carlo A. Pignedoli - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) (Author)
  • Klaus Müllen - , Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Author)
  • Xinliang Feng - , Chair of Molecular Functional Materials (cfaed) (Author)
  • Roman Fasel - , Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), University of Bern (Author)

Abstract

Cumulene compounds are notoriously difficult to prepare and study because their reactivity increases dramatically with the increasing number of consecutive double bonds. In this respect, the emerging field of on-surface synthesis provides exceptional opportunities because it relies on reactions on clean metal substrates under well-controlled ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. Here we report the on-surface synthesis of a polymer linked by cumulene-like bonds on a Au(111) surface via sequential thermally activated dehalogenative C−C coupling of a tribenzoazulene precursor equipped with two dibromomethylene groups. The structure and electronic properties of the resulting polymer with cumulene-like pentagon–pentagon and heptagon–heptagon connections have been investigated by means of scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy methods and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, complemented by density functional theory calculations. Our results provide perspectives for the on-surface synthesis of cumulene-containing compounds, as well as protocols relevant to the stepwise fabrication of carbon–carbon bonds on surfaces.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)13281-13287
Number of pages7
JournalAngewandte Chemie - International Edition
Volume59
Issue number32
Publication statusPublished - 3 Aug 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 32350979

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • carbon nanostructures, cumulenes, nonbenzenoid hydrocarbons, sequential dehalogenation, surface chemistry