The adsorption behaviour of 2H-5,10,15,20-tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin (2HTPTBP) on different metal surfaces, i.e., Ag(111), Cu(111), Cu(110), and Cu(110)-(2 × 1)O was investigated by scanning tunnelling microscopy at room temperature. The adsorption of 2HTPTBP on Ag(111) leads to the formation of a well-ordered two-dimensional (2D) island structure due to the mutual stabilization through the intermolecular π-π stacking and T-type-like interactions of phenyl and benzene substituents of neighboring molecules. For 2HTPTBP on Cu(111), the formed 2D supramolecular structures exhibit a coverage-dependent behaviour, which can be understood from the interplay of molecule-substrate and molecule-molecule interactions. In contrast, on Cu(110) the 2HTPTBP molecules form dispersed one-dimensional (1D) molecular chains along the [11[combining macron]0] direction of the substrate due to relatively strong attractive molecule-substrate interactions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the reconstruction of the Cu(110) surface by oxygen atoms yields a change in dimensionality of the resulting nanostructures from 1D on Cu(110) to 2D on (2 × 1) oxygen-reconstructed Cu(110), induced by a decreased molecule-substrate interaction combined with attractive molecule-molecule interactions. This comprehensive study on these prototypical systems enables us to deepen the understanding of the particular role of the substrate concerning the adsorption behavior of organic molecules on metal surfaces and thus to tweak the ordering in functional molecular architectures.

We investigate the impact of peripheral cyano functionalization of the previously well-studied 2H-tetraphenylporphyrin (2HTPP) by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT). The adsorption behavior of 2H-tetralds(p-cyano)-phenylporphyrin (2HTCNPP) is studied at room temperature and at 80 K on Cu(111) and Ag(111). Interestingly, the cyano-functionalized porphyrins tend to form isolated ID chains on Cu(111), in particular after mild annealing at 350 K. The individual 2HTCNPPs as well as the formed chains are oriented along the main crystallographic directions of the Cu(111) substrate due to a strongly attractive and site-specific interaction between the iminic nitrogens of the 2HTCNPP and Cu substrate atoms. The linking within the 1D molecular chains is realized by Cu adatoms as evidenced by comparison of STM and DFT. In contrast, on Ag(111) the molecules assemble into 2D supramolecular layers with long-range order and a square unit cell, stabilized by molecule-molecule interactions. The orientation of the molecules with respect to the unit cell lattice vectors leads to organizational chirality. By codeposition of cobalt, the porphyrin molecules are metalated at room temperature. We did not observe any evidence for metal-organic network formation on Ag(111), even after varying the deposition parameters or the order of metal and porphyrin deposition. Our study shows that cyano functionalization of porphyrins can give rise to novel and unique self-assembled structures like 1D molecular chains without any cross-connections via adatom linking.

We investigated the adsorption behavior of Co(II)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)-porphyrin (CoTTBPP) on Cu(111) by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). At room temperature (RT), the coverage dependent adsorption behavior follows an expected scheme: at low coverage step decoration is found, which evolves into supramolecular domains with a hexagonal order at higher coverage. Interestingly, upon cooling the sample to 180K the occurrence of a clearly distinguishable coexisting herringbone phase is observed. Upon heating to RT again, the herringbone phase vanishes. Thus a temperature dependent, fully reversible phase transition was observed. High resolution STM micrographs allow for the determination of the intramolecular conformations which are different for the two supramolecular arrangements. In addition, we studied the bias voltage dependent appearance of the molecule in STM and assigned a dominant contribution of the central Co at negative bias voltages close to the Fermi edge to the occupied dz2 orbital. Interestingly, the herringbone phase, which dominates at 180K, exhibits a significantly higher molecular density than the monomodal hexagonal arrangement at RT, which is in line with the “normal” behavior of freezing substances.

The adsorption behavior of 2H-tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butyl)phenylporphyrin (2HTTBPP) on Cu(110) and Cu(110)-(2×1)O surfaces have been investigated by using variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. On the bare Cu(110) surface, individual 2HTTBPP molecules are observed. These molecules are immobilized on the surface with a particular orientation with respect to the crystallographic directions of the Cu(110) surface and do not form supramolecular aggregates up to full monolayer coverage. In contrast, a chiral supramolecular structure is formed on the Cu(110)-(2×1)O surface, which is stabilized by van der Waals interactions between the tert-butyl groups of neighboring molecules. These findings are explained by weakened molecule-substrate interactions on the Cu(110)-(2×1)O surface relative to the bare Cu(110) surface. By comparison with the corresponding results of Cu-tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butyl)phenylporphyrin (CuTTBPP) on Cu(110) and Cu(110)-(2×1)O surfaces, we find that the 2HTTBPP molecules can self-metalate on both surfaces with copper atoms from the substrate at room temperature (RT). The possible origins of the self-metalation reaction at RT are discussed. Finally, peculiar irreversible temperature-dependent switching of the intramolecular conformations of the investigated molecules on the Cu(110) surface was observed and interpreted.

Tetraphenylporphyrin (2HTPP) undergoes several distinct, structure-dependent reactions on Cu(111): Firstly metalation, forming copper(II)tetraphenylporphyrin (CuTPP), and subsequently dehydrogenation. Dehydrogenation takes places in two steps. In the first step the phenyl rings fuse with the pyrrole rings, flattening the molecule on the surface, and in the last step the remaining hydrogen atoms are lost producing an ill-defined, interlinked, nitrogen-doped carbon network on the surface. The rate of metalation and dehydrogenation depends strongly on coverage, with an abrupt change as the coverage is increased and the structure of the adsorbed 2HTPP layer changes. Using ultrahigh vacuum, XPS, STM and TPD (of both deuterated and undeuterated molecules) the reaction rates and the different intermediates on the surface have been investigated in the temperature range from 200-1000 K as a function of the structure of the initial 2HTPP layer.

A systematic scanning tunnelling microscopy investigation of the self-assembly and of thermally induced conformational changes of Ni(II)-meso-tetrakis (4-tert-butylphenyl) benzoporphyrin (Ni-TTBPBP) on Cu(111) is presented. At room temperature, Ni-TTBPBPs diffuse on the surface and self-assemble into ordered islands with well-defined registry to the substrate, with two different azimuthal orientations. The formation of the characteristic supramolecular structure is attributed to van der Waals interactions between the tert-butyl groups. Upon moderate heating, the intramolecular conformation changes irreversibly due to a dehydrogenative intramolecular aryl-aryl coupling reaction. This reaction is coverage dependent, with a lower rate at higher initial coverage; this behaviour is attributed to a stabilization of Ni-TTBPBP in the ordered islands at higher coverage.

We have studied the coverage-dependent adsorption behavior of Ni(II)-5,10,15,20-tetraphenyltetra-benzoporphyrin on Cu(111) by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at room temperature. At medium coverages, the molecules self-assemble into two-dimensional islands, due to mutual stabilization through intermolecular interactions. Altogether, three different supramolecular arrangements coexist at low-to-medium coverages. On the basis of high-resolution STM images and density functional theory calculations, models for the three arrangements and the corresponding intramolecular conformations of the individual molecules are proposed. The observed polymorphism is attributed to a complex interplay of specific T-type and pi-pi stacking interactions between the phenyl groups. For Ni(II)-meso-tetrakis (4-tert-butylphenyl) benzoporphyrin, in which the aromatic periphery is modified by the attachment of tert-butyl groups, only one supramolecular arrangement on Cu(111) is found. This difference highlights the fact that the choice of peripheral ligands of the porphyrin derivatives plays an important role in the fabrication and tailoring of functional molecular architectures.

The adsorption of 2H-tetraphenylporphycene (2HTPPc) on Cu(111) was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). At medium coverages, supramolecular ordered islands are observed. The individual 2HTPPc molecules appear as two pairs of intense protrusions which are separated by an elongated depression. In the islands, the molecules are organized in rows oriented along one of the close packed Cu(111) substrate rows; the structure is stabilized by T-type interactions of the phenyl substituents of neighboring molecules. Two types of rows are observed, namely, highly ordered rows in which all molecules exhibit the same orientation, and less ordered rows in which the molecules exhibit two perpendicular orientations. Altogether, three different azimuthal orientations of 2HTPPc are observed within one domain, all of them rotated by 15° ± 1° relative to one closed packed Cu direction. The highly ordered rows are always separated by either one or two less ordered rows, with the latter structure being the thermodynamically more stable one. The situation in the islands is highly dynamic, such that molecules in the less ordered rows occasionally change orientation, also complete highly ordered rows can move. The supramolecular order and structural dynamics are discussed on the basis of the specific molecule-substrate and molecule-molecule interactions.

A colorful representation of temperature-programmed desorption spectra for a Cu(111) surface fully covered by tetraphenylporphyrin is depicted. In their Full Paper on page 8948, O. Lytken et al. report on their investigations on the release of hydrogen during the metalation and dehydrogenation of tetraphenylporphyrin on the Cu(111) surface. The desorption of hydrogen is indicated as balloons and bubbles of hydrogen. The reactions producing the desorbing hydrogen are shown at the bottom of the image.

Using temperature-programmed desorption, supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, a comprehensive overview of the main reactions of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin (2HTPP) on Cu(111) as a function of coverage and temperature is obtained. Three reactions were identified: metalation with Cu substrate atoms, stepwise partial dehydrogenation, and finally complete dehydrogenation. At low coverage the reactions are independent of coverage, but at higher coverage metalation becomes faster and partial dehydrogenation slower. This behavior is explained by a weaker interaction between the iminic nitrogen atoms and the Cu(111) surface in the high-coverage checkerboard structure, leading to faster metalation, and the stabilizing effect of T-type interactions in the CuTPP islands formed at high coverage after metalation, leading to slower dehydrogenation. Based on the amount of hydrogen released and the appearance in STM, a structure of the partially dehydrogenated molecule is suggested.

We observe and induce conformational switching of individual molecules via scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at and close to room temperature. 2H-5,10,15,20-Tetrakis-(3,5-di-tert-butyl)-phenylporphyrin adsorbed on Cu(111) forms a peculiar supramolecular ordered phase in which the molecules arrange in alternating rows, with two distinct appearances in STM which are assigned to concave and convex intramolecular conformations. Around room temperature, frequent bidirectional conformational switching of individual molecules from concave to convex and vice versa is observed. From the temperature dependence, detailed insights into the energy barriers and entropic contributions of the switching processes are deduced. At 200 K, controlled STM tip-induced unidirectional switching is possible, yielding an information storage density of 4.9 × 10(13) bit/inch(2). With this contribution we demonstrate that controlled switching of individual molecules at comparably high temperatures is possible and that entropic effects can be a decisive factor in potential molecular devices at these temperatures.

Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), the coverage-dependent self-metalation of 2H-tetraphenylporphyrin (2HTPP) with Cu on Cu(111) at 400 K has been studied. At low coverages the porphyrin molecules are adsorbed as isolated molecules, and the rate of metalation is slow. As the coverage is increased beyond similar to 0.36 molecules/nm(2), a supramolecular checkerboard structure is formed, with every second molecule slightly elevated above the surface. The appearance of this checkerboard structure coincides with a dramatic increase in the rate of metalation. This enhancement is attributed to a smaller activation barrier for the elevated molecules, which have an internal conformation similar to that of the free molecule, whereas the less reactive molecules in direct contact with the surface are strongly distorted.

Through the use of temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), the self-metalation and dehydrogenation of deuterated 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21,23D-porphyrin on Cu(111) have been studied, resulting in new insight into the metalation of porphyrins on surfaces. The metalation is found to proceed through the transfer of the central aminic hydrogen atoms to the Cu(111) surface and not, as suggested by gas phase calculations, through the combination of the hydrogen atoms to molecular hydrogen above the partially inserted metal center. This finding suggests that the metalation reaction could be significantly influenced by the stability of hydrogen on the substrate surface. The metalation reaction and the subsequent hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of the periphery of the porphyrin molecule leading to hydrogen–deuterium exchange are modeled with a simple microkinetic reaction model. The model is able to describe the main features of the TPD spectra.

In this study, we investigate the peculiar coverage dependent supramolecular arrangement of 2H-tetraphenylporhpyrin (2HTPP) on Cu(111) with scanning tunneling microscopy at room-temperature. At low coverage, "slow" diffusion of individual 2HTPP molecules along the close-packed atomic rows of the substrate is observed, and no supramolecular ordering occurs. However, at higher coverage, the formation of ordered, checkerboard-like domains is found, with two molecules per unit cell at different distances from the surface. This behavior is attributed to a complex interplay of site specific molecule-substrate interaction, mainly the strong interaction between the iminic N atoms and Cu substrate atoms, with intermolecular T-type and π-π interactions.

We demonstrate that Cu(111) surfaces pre-covered with a submonolayer of copper oxide or metallic nickel are suitable model-templates for the selective adsorption and/or localized functionalization of functional molecules such as different free base porphyrins and metalloporphyrins. The oxide/Cu(111) model-template is able to steer the adsorption of tetraphenylporphyrins (TPP): 2HTPP selectively adsorbs on the bare Cu areas, and for CoTPP anchoring at the rim of the copper oxide islands is found. On the Ni/Cu(111) model-template TPP molecules are pinned on the Ni areas while they are mobile on the bare Cu surface. Interestingly, adsorption of free base octaethylporphyrin on Ni/Cu(111) leads to a local functionalization, namely the metalation to NiOEP on the Ni areas. Model-template preparation and characterization by scanning tunneling microscopy is performed at room temperature.

Das einfache Auszählen individueller Moleküle in Rastertunnelmikroskopiebildern nach definierten Heizschritten ermöglicht die Bestimmung der kinetischen Parameter und der Aktivierungsenergie komplexer Oberflächenreaktionen. Das Verfahren wird an der Metallierungsreaktion von 2H-Tetraphenylporphyrin (2HTPP) mit Substratatomen auf Cu(111) demonstriert.

Temperature-dependent chemical and structural changes of a submonolayer of 2H-tetraphenylporphyrin (2HTPP) on Cu(111) were studied with photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS/UPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). 2HTPP reacts with Cu atoms from the substrate to form copper(II)-tetraphenylporphyrin (CuTPP). This metalation reaction starts at about 400 K and was investigated at various temperatures up to 500 K. At room temperature, adsorbed 2HTPP adopts an orientation with the molecular plane parallel to the substrate; the same holds for its reaction product CuTPP after annealing to 400 K. In contrast, annealing at 450 K yields a tilted orientation of CuTPP, as indicated by STM and supported by C Is XPS shifts and changes in the Cu(111) surface state. Subsequent annealing at 500 K restores a flat-lying orientation; however, the appearance of the complex in STM images differs from the original appearance of CuTPP. In summary, 2HTPP undergoes three irreversible transformations upon annealing on Cu(111), a metalation reaction to CuTPP followed by two intramolecular structural changes.

By simply counting individual molecules in STM images after defined heating steps, the kinetic parameters and the activation energy of a complex surface reaction can be determined quantitatively. This procedure was demonstrated for the metalation of 2H-tetraphenylporphyrin (2HTPP) with substrate atoms on a Cu(111) surface. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as "Supporting Information". Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

We address the dynamic behavior and the surface chemical bond of 2H-tetraphenylporphyrin (2HTPP) on Cu(111) around room temperature by variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in ultrahigh vacuum. Between 280 and 345 K, the molecules predominantly display unidirectional diffusion along one of the three densely packed substrate < 110 > directions, which is attributed to a high site selectivity of the adsorbate-substrate bond. Above 305 K, the diffusion direction is found to change occasionally by +/- 120 degrees. The activation barriers for the unidirectional diffusion and for rotation of the diffusion direction are determined to 0.71 +/- 0.08 and 1.28 +/- 0.12 eV, respectively. XPS shows that the iminic nitrogen atoms of 2HTPP interact strongly with the Cu surface. It is postulated that the local bonding situation is similar as in the initial complex (sitting-atop complex), which has previously been observed during the surface-confined in situ metalation of porphyrins.