Comparison and Contrast Analysis of Adsorption Geometries of Phenylalanine versus Tyrosine on Ge(100): Effect of Nucleophilic Group on the Surface

The discrepancy of geometric configuration between phenylalanine and tyrosine adsorbed on Ge(100) surfaces was investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in conjunction with density functional theory (DFT) calculations and core-level photoemission spectroscopy (CLPES). The study focused on the role of nucleophilic group (hydroxyl group) on phenyl ring of tyrosine, and we elucidated the difference of the adsorption geometry between phenylalanine and tyrosine on Ge(100) surfaces. We first confirmed that the “O–H dissociated–N dative bonded structure” was the most favorable structure in both molecules at low coverage by results of CLPES and DFT calculations. Geometric differences for the adsorption configurations between phenylalanine and tyrosine were observed: the phenyl ring of phenylalanine was aligned axially with respect to the Ge(100) surface, whereas that of tyrosine was tilted, as determined by DFT calculations. In sequence, we found out the results of STM images to confirm DFT results. We determined the different geometric configurations are attributed to the nucleophilic hydroxyl group of tyrosine, which creates an uneven charge distribution