Mechanisms of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex Lattice Formation
N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) that have wingtip groups with low steric bulk, such as 1,3-dimethyl-benzimidazol-2-ylidene (NHC<sup>Me</sup>), form bis-complexes with metal atoms when they are deposited onto Au(111) surfaces <i>in vacuo</i>. These complexes self-assemble into three different lattices: a herringbone, a double-herringbone, and a chiral kagome lattice. The static properties of these lattices have been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy and <i>ab initio</i> theoretical methods. Dynamic processes including complex center displacement and hindered monomer motion have also been observed. Our results suggest that in addition to surface hopping, exchange processes are important, providing a facile mechanism for atom exchange between the overlayer and the metal. These dynamic processes are well-known from studies of metal epitaxy but have not previously been discussed in the context of NHC self-assembly.
Authors
- F. Crasto de Lima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2937-2620)
- Francesco Tumino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4846-2701)
- Alex J. Veinot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2685-5790)
- Michael Furlan
- Mark D. Aloisio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3780-4881)
- Cathleen M. Crudden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2154-8107)
- R. H. Miwa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1237-1525)
- A. B. McLean (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9653-7985)
- Alex Inayeh
- Ryan Groome (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6575-5787)
- Ishwar Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8634-6082)
- Emmett Desroche
Institutions
- Queen's University (CA)
- Instituto de Física La Plata (AR)
- Astronomy and Space (AU)
- Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (BR)
- Nano Carbon (Poland) (PL)
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Nano
- Published
- 2025-08-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c06139
- Primary Topic
- N-Heterocyclic Carbenes in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Canada Foundation for Innovation
- Canada Research Chairs
- Queen's University
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais
- Centro Nacional de Processamento de Alto Desempenho em São Paulo
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada