title: A scanning tunneling microscopy study of self-assembled nickel(II) octaethylporphyrin deposited from solutions on HOPG.
abstract: The adsorption of nickel(II) octaethylporphyrin (NiOEP) from benzene and chloroform solutions on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was investigated with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) operated in ambient conditions. STM images show that NiOEP self-assembles on the graphite surface and that the molecules lie flat and form 2D lattices with spacings of 1.58 +/- 0.03 nm by 1.46 +/- 0.06 nm with a lattice angle of 69 degrees +/- 4 degrees averaged over both solvents. We were unable to eliminate the possibility that one unit cell distance is twice the above-reported distance. The corresponding molecular packing density, 4.5 +/- 0.3 x 10(13) molecules/cm(2), was essentially the same for benzene and chloroform solution deposition. These results differ somewhat from the structure revealed by high-resolution STM images of NiOEP on Au (111). The lack of apparent height (image intensity) in the constant current STM image of the alkane region of alkane-substituted metal porphyrins is attributed to a combination of changes in alkane configuration relative to the ring and associated changes in electronic coupling with HOMO and LUMO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Materials Science Program, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-4630, USA.
authors.forename: Ayowale
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogunrinde
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Hipps
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scudiero