title: Two-dimensional self-assembly of benzotriazole on an inert substrate.
abstract: The ultra-high vacuum (UHV) room temperature adsorption of benzotriazole (BTAH), a well-known corrosion inhibitor for copper, has been investigated on the pristine Au(111) surface using a combination of surface sensitive techniques. The dimensionality of the molecule is reduced from the 3D crystal structure to a 2-dimensional surface confinement, which induces the formation of hydrogen bonded 1-dimensional molecular chains consisting of alternating pro-S and pro-R enantiomers mainly. The 0-dimensional system is characteristic of gas-phase BTAH, which undergoes a tautomeric equilibrium, with consequences for the resulting adsorbed species. The balance between hydrogen bonding, inter-chain van der Waals interactions and surface-molecule interactions, and the correlation with the dimensionality of the system, are discussed in light of the experimental results and a computational description of the observed features.
authors.affiliation: EaStCHEM and School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK. federico.grillo@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.affiliation: EaStCHEM and School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK. federico.grillo@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Garrido Torres
authors.affiliation: EaStCHEM and School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK. federico.grillo@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: M-J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Treanor
authors.affiliation: EaStCHEM and School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK. federico.grillo@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Larrea
authors.affiliation: EaStCHEM and School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK. federico.grillo@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Götze
authors.affiliation: Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste, S.C.p.A., S.S. 14 Km 163.5, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lacovig
authors.affiliation: EaStCHEM and School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK. federico.grillo@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Früchtl
authors.affiliation: EaStCHEM and School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK. federico.grillo@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schaub
authors.affiliation: EaStCHEM and School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK. federico.grillo@st-andrews.ac.uk.
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Richardson