Tuning the ease of formation of on-surface metal-adatom coordination polymers featuring diketones

Abstract

We use pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraketone molecules with substituents of varying bulkiness in the 2,7 positions to probe the generality and versatility of the previously reported on-surface coordination of two diketones with a single metal atom, leading to one-dimensional coordination polymers. Three different low index surfaces of group 11 metals (Cu, Ag and Au) are used to provide both the support and the metal atoms for metal–organic coordination. By real space visualisation with single molecule resolution employing scanning tunnelling microscopy we investigate the molecular self-assembly and show how this can be substantiated with the formation of metal–organic linear and cyclic oligomers, depending on the employed substrate.