Grafting nanocorrals onto graphite

Abstract

Nanomaterials The electrochemical reduction of a mixture of two aryl diazonium compounds on graphite can lead to the formation of an array of nanoscale corrals. Phan et al. found that reduction of 4-nitrobenzenediazonium or 3,5-bis- tert -butylbenzenediazonium (TBD) alone creates aromatic radicals that graft homogeneously to the graphite surface. However, mixtures of these compounds created a quasi-periodic array of open regions that ranged from 45 to 130 nanometers. Mixtures richer in the more sterically hindered TBD resulted in larger diameters. The authors suggest that open corrals form from nanobubble structures created by N2 released in the reduction process that prevent access of the reactants to the graphite surface. ACS Nano 10.1021/acsnano.9b00439 (2019).