A2.2 – Scanning tunnelling microscopy investigation of polygonal arylene-alkynylene macrocycles that pre-organize attached polyaromatic hydrocarbon groups
Principle Investigator: Prof. Sigurd Höger
In this project, we study supramolecular nanopatterns of alkyl substituted arylene-alkynylenes on graphite (HOPG) at the solution/solid interface by means of scanning tunneling microscopy. In the first cohort, we studied the physisorption of clamped bichromophores with photoswitchable units.[1] Furthermore, we used strained bicyclophanes to mount structural units so that they point (after surface adsorption) towards the volume phase.[2]
In the second cohort, molecular polygons will be used as molecular templates to pre-organize attached polyaromatic hydrocarbon groups. They form specific architectures (e.g. stacks), so that the experimental investigation of charge transport through such entities will become possible.
This will be a combined synthetic (organic synthesis, Sigurd Höger) and analytic (STM, Stefan-S. Jester) project.
References
[1] N. Schmickler, D. A. Hofmeister, J. Bahr, J. Schedlbauer, S.-S. Jester, J. M. Lupton, S. Höger Organic Materials 2022, 4, 153-162.
[2] D. Kalle, J. Bahr, J. Kleine Büning, S. Grimme, M. Bursch, S.-S. Jester, S. Höger, submitted.
The ideal candidate has expertise in scanning tunneling microscopy and (supra-)molecular modelling.