title: Ultraviolet Pretreatment of Titanium Dioxide and Tin-Doped Indium Oxide Surfaces as a Promoter of the Adsorption of Organic Molecules in Dry Deposition Processes: Light Patterning of Organic Nanowires.
abstract: In this article we present the preactivation of TiO2 and ITO by UV irradiation under ambient conditions as a tool to enhance the incorporation of organic molecules on these oxides by evaporation at low pressures. The deposition of π-stacked molecules on TiO2 and ITO at controlled substrate temperature and in the presence of Ar is thoroughly followed by SEM, UV-vis, XRD, RBS, and photoluminescence spectroscopy, and the effect is exploited for the patterning formation of small-molecule organic nanowires (ONWs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in situ experiments and molecular dynamics simulations add critical information to fully elucidate the mechanism behind the increase in the number of adsorption centers for the organic molecules. Finally, the formation of hybrid organic/inorganic semiconductors is also explored as a result of the controlled vacuum sublimation of organic molecules on the open thin film microstructure of mesoporous TiO2.
authors.affiliation: †Nanotechnology on Surfaces Laboratory, Materials Science Institute of Seville (ICMS, CSIC-US), Avd. Americo Vespucio 49, 41092 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Youssef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oulad-Zian
authors.affiliation: ‡Nanotech@surfaces Laboratory, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Juan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Valencia
authors.affiliation: †Nanotechnology on Surfaces Laboratory, Materials Science Institute of Seville (ICMS, CSIC-US), Avd. Americo Vespucio 49, 41092 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parra-Barranco
authors.affiliation: §Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, University Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, km. 1, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Said
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamad
authors.affiliation: †Nanotechnology on Surfaces Laboratory, Materials Science Institute of Seville (ICMS, CSIC-US), Avd. Americo Vespucio 49, 41092 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Espinos
authors.affiliation: †Nanotechnology on Surfaces Laboratory, Materials Science Institute of Seville (ICMS, CSIC-US), Avd. Americo Vespucio 49, 41092 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barranco
authors.affiliation: ∥Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (US-CSIC), Av. Thomas A. Edison, 7, 41092 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.affiliation: ⊥Instituto de Ciència de Materiales de Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientı́ficas (ICMAB, CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Mariona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coll
authors.affiliation: †Nanotechnology on Surfaces Laboratory, Materials Science Institute of Seville (ICMS, CSIC-US), Avd. Americo Vespucio 49, 41092 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borras