Combining high-resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy and first-principles simulations to identify halogen bonding

James Lawrence, Gabriele C. Sosso (), Luka Đorđević, Harry Pinfold, Davide Bonifazi () and Giovanni Costantini ()
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James Lawrence: University of Warwick
Gabriele C. Sosso: University of Warwick
Luka Đorđević: Cardiff University
Harry Pinfold: University of Warwick
Davide Bonifazi: Cardiff University
Giovanni Costantini: University of Warwick

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) is commonly used to identify on-surface molecular self-assembled structures. However, its limited ability to reveal only the overall shape of molecules and their relative positions is not always enough to fully solve a supramolecular structure. Here, we analyse the assembly of a brominated polycyclic aromatic molecule on Au(111) and demonstrate that standard STM measurements cannot conclusively establish the nature of the intermolecular interactions. By performing high-resolution STM with a CO-functionalised tip, we clearly identify the location of rings and halogen atoms, determining that halogen bonding governs the assemblies. This is supported by density functional theory calculations that predict a stronger interaction energy for halogen rather than hydrogen bonding and by an electron density topology analysis that identifies characteristic features of halogen bonding. A similar approach should be able to solve many complex 2D supramolecular structures, and we predict its increasing use in molecular nanoscience at surfaces.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15898-2

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