Reversible Self‐Assembly of an N‐Heterocyclic Carbene on Metal Surfaces

Self-assembly of cyclohexyl cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes (cyCAAC) can be realized and reversibly switched from a close-packed trimer phase to a chainlike dimer phase, enabled by the ring-flip of the cyclohexyl wingtip. Multiple methods including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations identified a distinct isomer (axial or equatorial chair conformer) in each phase, and consequently support the conclusion regarding the determination of molecular surface geometry on the self-assembly of cyCAAC. Moreover, various substrates such as Ag (111) and Cu (111) are tested to elucidate the importance of cyCAAC-surface interactions on cyCAAC based nanopatterns. These investigations of patterned surfaces prompted a deep understanding of cyCAAC binding mode, surface geometry and reversible self-assembly, which are of paramount significance in the areas of catalysis, biosensor design and surface functionalization.