Sequential growth at the sub-10 nm scale of cyanide bridged coordination networks on inorganic surfaces

Abstract

The elaboration of coordination networks’ nano-objects on surfaces can be realized by sequential growth in solution (SGS). This bottom-up strategy gives the possibility to control the size, the isolation and the organization of the objects with a precision going up to the molecular scale. Detailed descriptions of the growth of the nickel(II)–iron(II) Prussian blue analog and of the copper–molybdenum cyanide-bridged coordination network are reported to give insight about the mechanisms of the growth. Then a comparative XPS analysis has been performed to explain the different reactivity of the precursors of the growth of the nickel(II)–iron(II) and nickel(II)–chromium(III) Prussian blue analogs. This perspective article proves that SGS can be optimized for each coordination system to build molecular superstructures on surfaces, with interesting physical properties towards chemical devices.