0000000000293312
AUTHOR
Lifeng Chi
Bottom-Up, On-Surface-Synthesized Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons for Ultra-High-Power Micro-Supercapacitors
Bottom-up-synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with excellent electronic properties are promising materials for energy storage systems. Herein, we report bottom-up-synthesized GNR films employed as electrode materials for micro-supercapacitors (MSCs). The micro-device delivers an excellent volumetric capacitance and an ultra-high power density. The electrochemical performance of MSCs could be correlated with the charge carrier mobility within the differently employed GNRs, as determined by pump–probe terahertz spectroscopy studies.
Domain Structures in Langmuir-Blodgett Films Investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy
Investigations of phase-separated Langmuir-Blodgett films by atomic force microscopy reveal that on a scale of 30 to 200 micrometers, these images resemble those observed by fluorescence microscopy. Fine structures (less than 1 micrometer) within the stearic acid domains were observed, which cannot be seen by conventional optical microscopic techniques. By applying the force modulation technique, it was found that the elastic properties of the domains in the liquid condensed phase and grains observed within the liquid expanded phase were comparable. Small soft residues in the domains could also be detected. The influence of trace amounts of a fluorescence dye on the micromorphology of monol…
Benzo-Fused Periacenes or Double Helicenes? Different Cyclodehydrogenation Pathways on Surface and in Solution
Controlling the regioselectivity of C-H activation in unimolecular reactions is of great significance for the rational synthesis of functional graphene nanostructures, which are called nanographenes. Here, we demonstrate that the adsorption of tetranaphthyl- p-terphenyl precursors on metal surfaces can completely change the cyclodehydrogenation route and lead to obtaining planar benzo-fused perihexacenes rather than double [7]helicenes during solution synthesis. The course of the on-surface planarization reactions is monitored using scanning probe microscopy, which unambiguously reveals the formation of dibenzoperihexacenes and the structures of reaction intermediates. The regioselective pl…
Photoelectropoling of azobenzene chromophores in molecular films
The photoinduced reorientation and photoelectropoling processes were investigated in molecular films of aliphatically substituted azobenzenes. While polarized illumination leads to a conversion of isotropic samples into anisotropic ones, upon application of external electric fields even macroscopically polar materials are created. The macroscopic polarity can be reversed under suitable experimental conditions. Order parameters as a function of the poling field were determined by Stark spectroscopy. Using atomic force microscopy it is shown that the structure of the sample is well defined on a microscopic length scale, whereas on a macroscopic length scale it is not.
A new on-surface synthetic pathway to 5-armchair graphene nanoribbons on Cu(111) surfaces
We report a new pathway to fabricate armchair graphene nanoribbons with five carbon atoms in the cross section (5-AGNRs) on Cu(111) surfaces. Instead of using haloaromatics as precursors, the 5-AGNRs are synthesized via a surface assisted decarboxylation reaction of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA). The on-surface decarboxylation of PTCDA can produce extended copper–perylene chains on Cu(111) that are able to transform into graphene nanoribbons after annealing at higher temperatures (ca. 630 K). Due to the low yield (ca. 20%) of GNRs upon copper extrusion, various gases are introduced to assist the transformation of the copper–perylene chains into the GNRs. Typical redu…