Adsorption and organisation of para-hexaphenyl molecules on Si(100)

Abstract

Para-hexaphenyl molecules (p-6P: C36H26) can be grown as nanofibres on various surfaces having optical properties of technological relevance. We report here the first observations of the initial stages of adsorption of individual p-6P molecules on Si(100)-(2×1) using room temperature Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM). Depending on the substrate temperature, the hexaphenyl molecules adsorb in two configurations; indicating both weak and strong chemisorption. All six phenyl rings are clearly visible and the molecules are found to adsorb with characteristic angles between the long axis of the molecule and the silicon dimer rows. A statistical analysis of the spatial distribution of the molecules suggests that the clustering required for crystallographic nanofibre growth does not occur at the atomic scale under the experimental conditions used here.