Trapping Nanostructures on Surfaces through Weak Interactions

International audienceThe assembly of imidazole-functionalized phenan-throline-strapped zinc porphyrins (ZnPorphen)w ith alkyl or polyethylene glycol (PEG) side chains was studied in solution and by AFM after casting on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) or mica. The natureo ft he solvent and its evaporation time influenced the morphology of the objectso b-served.O nH OPG, short rods of about 100 nm were observed after fast evaporation of solutions of the alkyl derivatives in CHCl 3 ,T HF,o rp yridine, whereas islands of aligned rows of longer wires were obtained from methylcyclohexane (MCH). Slow evaporation of MCH led to at hree-dimensional assembly. The PEG porphyrin assembled into short wires on HOPG or fibers on mica after slow evaporation of solutions in THF.T his study shows the role of surface–molecule interactions in the interfacial assembly of ZnPorphen derivatives and contributes to understanding the parameters that control their noncovalent assembly into molecular wires on as urface