Site selective adsorption of the spin crossover complex Fe(phen)₂(NCS)₂ on Au(111)

Authors

• Sumit Beniwal, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Suchetana Sarkar, Universität Bayreuth
• Felix Baier, Universität Bayreuth
• Birgit Weber, Universität Bayreuth
• Peter Dowben, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
• Axel Enders, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

Sumit Beniwal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9381-5481

Birgit Weber https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9861-9447

Peter A Dowben https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2198-4710

Axel Enders https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2198-4710

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

7-29-2020

Citation

J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 32 (2020) 324003

https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-648X/ab808d

Comments

CC-BY

Abstract

The iron(II) spin crossover complex Fe(1,10-phenanthroline)₂(NCS)₂, dubbed Fe-phen, has been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy, after adsorption on the 'herringbone' reconstructed surface of Au(111) for sub-monolayer coverages. The Fe-phen molecules attach, through their NCS-groups, to the Au atoms of the fcc domains of the reconstructed surface only, thereby lifting the herringbone reconstruction. The molecules stack to form 1D chains, which run along the Au[110] directions. Neighboring Fe-phen molecules are separated by approximately 2.65 nm, corresponding to 9 atomic spacings in this direction. The molecular axis, defined by the two phenanthroline groups, is aligned perpendicular to the chain axis, along the Au [221] direction, thereby bridging over 5 atomic spacings, in this direction. Experimental evidence suggests that the molecular spins are locked in a mixed state in the sub-monolayer regime at temperatures between 100 K and 300 K.