title: Decarboxylative polymerization of 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid at surfaces.
abstract: Metal-catalyzed polymerization of 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDCA) to form poly-2,6-naphthalenes at various surfaces is reported. Polymerizations occur via initial formal dehydrogenation of self-assembled diacids with subsequent decarboxylation to give polymeric bisnaphthyl-Cu species at elevated temperature as intermediate structures (<160 °C). Further temperature increase eventually leads to poly-naphthalenes via reductive elimination. It is demonstrated that the Cu(111) surface works most efficiently to conduct such polymerizations as compared to the Au(111), Ag(111), Cu(100), and Cu(110) surfaces. Poly-2,6-naphthalene with a chain length of over 50 nm is obtained by using this approach. The decarboxylative coupling of aromatic diacids is a very promising tool which further enlarges the portfolio of reactions allowing for on-surface polymerizations and novel organometallic systems preparations.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanotechnology, Heisenbergstraße 11, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Hong-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Philipp Alexander
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Held
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knor
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mück-Lichtenfeld
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neugebauer
authors.forename: Armido
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Studer
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fuchs