N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes on a III‐V Semiconductor: From Chain Formation to Ordered Monolayers
N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are established ligands for various surfaces, known for their strong binding, ability to form self-assembled monolayers, and modular structure. However, semiconductor surface modification with NHCs is still in its infancy despite its technological importance. Although previous studies focused on silicon, III-V compound semiconductors offer direct bandgaps and high electron mobilities, making them ideal for (opto-)electronics. This study examines the adsorption of different NHCs on GaAs, a prototypical III-V material, using scanning tunneling microscopy, density functional theory, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy. Covalent binding to the surface and the formation of well-ordered NHC monolayers are observed, along with exceptionally large work function reductions. The unique structural features of NHCs enable precise control over film structure, ordering, and electronic properties.
Authors
- Mowpriya Das (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3437-0005)
- Maurizia Palummo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3097-8523)
- M. Franz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5669-2275)
- Angelica Sette (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3757-5583)
- Frank Glorius (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0648-956X)
- D. S. Rosenzweig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4686-2365)
- Milan Kubicki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7082-3668)
- M. Dähne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6364-8953)
- Byran C. Fuhrmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0815-4288)
- J. J. Engelhardt
- S. Chandola (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6059-4889)
- Letizia Chiodo
- N. Esser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0345-6823)
- Conor Hogan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0870-6361)
- Domenico Corona (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9053-9744)
- Ankita Das (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2241-8565)
- P Bakos
- Preeti Chahar
- René Schöder
- Oskar Düren
- Kai‐Luis Jakob
Institutions
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- Università Campus Bio-Medico (IT)
- University of Münster (DE)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (DE)
- Istituto Nanoscienze (IT)
- Institute of Structure of Matter (IT)
- Zero to Three (US)
- Technische Universität Berlin (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2025-09-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202511094
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- N-Heterocyclic Carbenes in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.87