title: Synthesis of one-dimensional Schiff base polymers that contain an oligothiophene building block on the graphite surface.
abstract: Surface-mediated Schiff base coupling reactions between oligothiophenes equipped with an aldehyde group and aromatic diamines were investigated on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ambient conditions. To investigate the evolution process from monomers to resultant polymers and the mechanism of reactions, we controlled the ratio of precursors and the reactive temperature, and we obtained high-resolution STM images of different stages of the surface reaction. The results suggest that preferential adsorption of one kind of monomer has a great influence on the on-surface Schiff base reaction.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microsystems and Microstructures, Manufacturing, Ministry of Education, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150080 (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Xiu-Ling
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Li-Xia
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Yong-Jing
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zongxia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Wei Quan
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Shengbin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lei
keywords: Schiff bases; adsorption; oligothiophenes; polymers; scanning probe microscopy