image: Self-assembly, transformation and coupling of n-C32H66 on Cu (110) with an initial coverage of 0.4 monolayers (ML) view more
Credit: ©Science China Press
This study is led by Prof. Lifeng Chi (Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University), and participated by Zhengming Hao (FUNSOM, Soochow University), Dr. Junjie Zhang (FUNSOM, Soochow University), Dr. Miao Xie (FUNSOM, Soochow University) ect. The research team achieves the coupling of polyenes that are transformed from n-C32H66 on a Cu (110) surface under mild conditions, leading to the formation of polyacetylene (PA). They identify three distinct types of linkages by means of STM and nc-AFM with chemical bond resolution. The α-type linkage is the stemless coupling of the terminal C-C double bond in the trans configuration, while β- and γ-type linkages present C-C coupling in cis-configurations (Figure 1). The in-depth elucidation enables them to regulate the ratios between different linkages and suppress the β- and γ-type connections by modulating the surface coverage, which may in general pave the way towards the further understanding and control of uniform products in on-surface chemistry and might be particularly interesting for alkane chemistry.
See the article:
From n-alkane to polyacetylene on Cu (110): Linkage modulation in chain growth
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-021-1213-2