Self-assemblies of TTF derivatives with fluorinated phenyls and pyridine group

Abstract

The self-assembly characteristics of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivatives molecules 1–3 at the 1-phenyloctane/HOPG (HOPG = highly oriented pyrolytic graphite) interface had been carefully studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) method. The number of F atoms on the phenyl group had significantly affected the self-assembly structures. High-resolution STM images make clear the different assembly structures between the molecules 1–3, which attribute to the different F atom numbers and pyridine group in the molecule. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to reveal the formation mechanism.